Division 
Section 


t 


The  Bible 

ITS    STRUCTURE    AND 
PURPOSE 


JOHN     URQUHART 

jtathoTof'Uhe^New  Biblicul  Quide,'""Che  Wonders  of 'Prophecy."  "Horn  Old 
Is  Xan  ?  "  '"Uhe  Inspiration  and  Jtccuracy  of  the  Holy  Scriplura,"  &c 
Member  of  the  Society  of  biblical  Jlrchaology,  and 
,     Jlssoclate  of  "Uhe  'Oiaarian  Institute. 


VOLUME  IV. 


NEW  YORK 
GOSPEL   PUBLISHING    HOUSE 

D.  T.  Baw.  Manager 
54  WEST  22iid  STREET 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter    I.— The    Higher   Criticism    and    the    Book   of 

EXODOS. 

Chapter  II. — Was  the  Law  Given  at  Sinai? 

Chapter  III. — The  Law  was  Written  in  Books. 

Chapter  IV. — The  Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodos. 


THE  INTRODUCTION  TO  EXODUS  (1. 1—22). 

Chapter  I. — Israel's  Extremity. 
Chapter  II. — The  Critic  and  the  Arch/bologist. 


THE  FIRST  PART  OF  EXODUS  (II.  i— VI.  12). 

Chapter  I. — The  Birth  and  Earlier  Career  of  Moses 

(II.  1—22). 

Chapter  II. — Criticisms  and  Difficdlties. 

Chapter  III. — The  Calling  of  Moses  (II.  23 — IV.  28). 

Chapter  IV. — Critical  Fancies  and  Ancient  Difficulties. 

Chapter  V.— Moses  in  Egypt  (IV.  18— VI.  12). 

Chapter  VI.— The  Jehovah  Name. 


PART  11. 

THE  REDEMPTIVE  V^ORK  (VI.  13— XII.  39). 

Chapter  I. — Jehovah's  Ambassadors  (VI.  13— VII.  7). 
Chapter    II. — Proposed   Divisions   of  the   Section  ;     and 
THE      Light      which     they      Shed     upon 
Critical  Results.     • 
Chapter  III.— The    Supernatural,  and  its   Relation   to 

Egyptian  Magic. 
Chapter   IV. — The    Conflict   with   the  Gods   of  Egypt 

(VII.  8— XI.  10). 
Chapter    V. — The  Hardening    of    Pharaoh's  Heart,  and 

his  Proposed  Compromises. 
Chapter  VI. — The  End  of  the   Struggle,  and  the  Com- 
plete Deliverance  of  Israel  (XII.  1—30) 


Jv.  Contents. 

Chapter  VII. — Egyptian  Words  in  Exodos. 
Chaptkr    VIII.— Thb    Passover   and   the  Feast    of    Un- 
leavened Bread:  Are  they  Typicai.? 


PART  III. 
THE  REDEEMED  WITH  G0D(XII.4o— XL.  38; 

Introduction. 


SECTION  I. 
THE  MARCH  TO  SINAI  (XII.  40-XVIII.  27). 

Chapter    I. — Preparations    for    the    Journey 
(XII.  40— XIII.  22). 

Chapter    II.— The     Passage     Throdgh     the     Sea 
(XIV.  I— XV.  21). 

Chaptbr    III. — The    Passover     and    the    Feast    of    Un- 
leavened   Bread:    Institdtions    of    the 

EXODDS. 


SECTION  II. 
THE  GIVING  OF  THE  LAW  AT  SINAI 
(XIX.— XXXI.) 
Chapter  I.— The  Contents  of  the  Section. 
Chapter    II.— The    Decalogue    in    Exodus    and   Deuter- 
onomy. 
Chapter     III.— The     Tabernacle:     Its     Structure    and 
Symbolism. 


SECTION  IIL 

THE  APOSTACY  OF  ISRAEL,  AND  THE 

BUILDING  OF  THE  TABERNACLE  BY 

THE  RECONCILED  PEOPLE 

(XXXII.— XL.) 

Chapter  I,— The  Contents  of  the  Section. 

Chapter  II. — The  Critical  Analysis  of  Exodo*. 


THE  BIBLE,  ITS  STRUCTURE 
AND  PURPOSE 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Higher  Criticism  and  the  Book 
OF  Exodus. 


IT  was  said  of  the  monarchs  of  a  certain  doomed 
regime,  whose  name  has  long  been  a  synonym 
for  splendid  arrogance  and  criminal  recklessness, 
that  they  forgot  nothing,  and  that  they  learned 
nothing.  It  bodes  ill  for  any  movement  when  it 
assumes  the  Bourbon  character.  The  higher  criti- 
cism has  itself,  as  all  are  aware,  been  the  subject  of 
a  quite  extensive  and  most  serious  criticism.  Its 
fundamental  positions  have  been  challenged,  and 
some  of  these  at  least  have,  in  the  judgment  of  un- 
doubted scholars,  been  shown  to  be  illusions.  Their 
"  ascertained  results  "  are  also  in  conflict  with  facts. 
In  the  light  shed  by  the  discoveries  of  archaeology,  it  is 
seen  that  what  criticism  had  written  down  as  myths 
have  all  the  lineaments  of  sober  history ;  while  it  is 
now  beyond  doubt  that  the  critics  have  utterly  mis- 
conceived the  condition  of  the  early  ages.  There  is 
no  branch  of  scientific  inquiry  which,  had  it  been  so 
attacked,  would  not  have  listened,  and  weighed  the 


2  The  Book  of   Ejcodus. 

arguments  advanced,  and,  wherever  necessary,  have 
honourably  withdrawn  its  statements  and  remodelled 
its  positions.  But  the  higher  criticism  has  nothing 
to  learn,  and  nothing  to  retract.  As  for  its  enemies, 
it  puffeth  at  them.  If  its  opponents  are  named  at 
all,  it  is  with  an  assurance  that  they  are  beneath 
consideration,  and  with  an  admonitory  hint  to  its 
disciples  not  to  read  their  productions.  That  these 
writings  differ  from  the  critics  is  their  heaviest 
possible  condemnation ! 

To  what  all  this  is  to  lead  is  shown  in  some  recent 
critical  publications.  Among  these  is  The  Messages 
of  the  Bible,  by  Dr.  Charles  Foster  Kent,  Professor 
in  Yale  University,  U.S.  America.  The  title  of  this 
series  of  volumes — The  Messages  of  the  Bible — is 
couched  in  the  most  reverent  form,  and  there  is  no 
believer  in  the  Divine  origin  of  the  Scriptures  whom 
it  does  not  satisfy.  It  acknowledges  fully  that  the 
Bible,  as  befits  a  Book  from  God,  has  its  "  messages  " 
for  this  as  for  every  other  age.  But  when  we  pass 
from  the  cover  to  the  contents,  there  are  no  messages ; 
and  there  is  no  Bible.  There  are  no  longer  any 
Biblical  Books  in  the  critics'  "re-constructed  Bible." 
The  second  title  of  the  volume,  which  more  im- 
mediately concerns  us,  is  significant.  It  is  as 
follows:  "THE  MESSAGES  OF  ISRAEL'S  LAW- 
GIVERS.    The  Laws  of  the  Old  Testament 

CODIFIED,  ARRANGED  IN  ORDER  OF  GROWTH,  AND 
FREELY  RENDERED  IN  PARAPHRASE.      CharleS  Scrib- 

ner's  Sons,  1902." 

The  reader  will  note  the  significance  of  the  word 


The  Higher  Criticisni  and  the  Book  of  Elxodus.    3 

"  Lawgivers."     The  distinct  testimony  of  the  Scrip- 
ture is  that  the  Law  is  God's  Law,  and  that  it  was 
given  by  the  hand  of  one  Mediator,  Moses.     All  this 
is  at  once  set  aside  as  an  account  of   this  matter 
which    no    fully-informed    man    can    now   possibly 
receive.      The  Laws  have  come,  not  by  immediate 
Divine  revelation,  but  by  "growth";  and  Israel  has 
had  "  Lawgivers,"  and  not  one  Lawgiver.     The  title 
is  followed  by  other,  and  still  more  painful,  surprises. 
Four  Books— Exodus  to  Numbers— are  put  in  at  one 
end  of  the  critical  machine,  and  they  come  out  at 
the  other  what  our  readers  will  kindly  pardon  our 
describing  as  a  German  sausage.     There  is,  a  host  of 
scraps  and  fragments  more  or  less  recognisable,  but 
any  trace  of  the  Books  will  be  searched  for  in  vain. 
These  were  apparently,  in  the  view  of  the  critics, 
necessary  arrangements  for  the  infancy  of  Biblical 
science ;  but,  now  that  the  envelopes  have  sufficed  to 
convey  the  contents  down  to  the  time  of  Wellhausen,, 
they  may,  and,  indeed,  must,  be  forthwith  cast  away. 
According  to  the  teaching  now  being  imparted  almost 
everywhere  to  the  coming  ministry  of  the  Churches, 
Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  and  Deuteronomy  are 
cunning  concealments  of  the  grand,  orderly  develop- 
ment of  the  Israelitish  laws.     And  that  is  by  no 
means  the  whole  of  their  offending.      They  entirely 
falsify  the  history  of  those  Laws,  so  that  in  this  case 
The   Messages  of  the  Books  are  by  no  means 
The    Messages    of    Israel's    Lawgivers.     The 
Books  must,  therefore,  be  broken  up,  that  the  Laws 
may  be   arranged    in    an    order  which    brands   Old 


4  The  Book  of  Elxodus. 

Testament  history  and  New  Testament  references  as 
ignorance  and  falsehood. 

That  the  reader  may  have  under  his  eye  un- 
challengeable testimony  as  to  this  critical  impeach- 
ment of  the  Word  of  God,  I  reproduce  the  table 
which  Dr.  Kent  has  prefixed  to  his  volume.  It  will 
be  found  upon  the  following  page.  Let  me  briefly 
indicate  its  leading  features.  In  the  Law,  which  is 
most  distinctly  and  solemnly  ascribed  to  his  instru- 
mentality, Moses,  it  seems,  had  no  part  whatever.  All 
that  the  critics  permit  to  be  attributed  to  him  are 
"  Precedents,  Customs,  Traditions."  Then 
comes  the  first  instalment  of  the  written  Law  about 
600  years  after  Moses  had  passed  away.  This  is  a 
tiny  portion — as  befits  a  first  essay  in  a  new  field — of 
seventeen  verses,  and  it  is  dubbed  "  J's  Decalogue." 
I  need  not  follow  in  their  order  the  other  layers  in 
ihis  pyramid,  which  really  ought  to  be  turned  upside 
down  if  it  is  to  show  the  supposed  huge  growth  from 
a  supposed  tiny  seed.  The  Divine  authorship  of  the 
Law  is  thus  completely  set  aside.  Exposition  of  the 
Pentateuch  is  henceforth  to  deal,  not  with  a  Revela- 
tion, but  with  an  Evolution.  That,  however,  is  not 
all.  The  reader  will  observe  that  the  evolution  did 
not  cease  with  the  last  part  of  the  Law  as  contained 
in  the  Scripture.  It  found  its  flower,  according  to 
the  critics,  only  in  the  "  Oral  or  Traditional  Law." 
This  "tradition  of  the  elders,"  which  our  Lord 
condemned  as  making  void  the  commandments  of 
God,  is  thus  accepted  by  the  critics  as  a  fuller 
growth  and  mature  outcome  of  the  Law.     That  the 


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6  The  Book  of  Ejcodus. 

Rabbinism  of  the  Talmud  should  be  represented  as 
the  ripest  fruit  of  the  whole  will  not  now  astonish 
us.  This  was  another  point  at  which  the  critics  had 
to  choose  between  Christ  and  their  theories ;  and 
here  again  they  have  clung  to  their  own  conclusions 
and  have  set  aside  His  explicit  and  solemn  testimony. 
It  was  entirely  natural  that  by  a  system  of  that 
.kind  those  ancient  Scriptures  should  be  very  lightly 
esteemed,  and  that,  where  our  fathers  found  a 
Divine  Revelation,  the  critics  should  see  only  the 
crude  ideas  of  unlettered  and  semi-barbaric  times. 
We  meet,  for  instance,  the  following  reference  to 
the  Passover.  "  Tradition  declares  that,  when  the 
Pharaoh  of  Egypt  had  repeatedly  broken  his  promise 
to  allow  the  Israelites  to  depart,"  *  &c.  Again : 
"The  old  prophetic  narrative  of  Genesis  viii.  20,  21 
states  that  after  he  emerged  from  the  ark,  *  Noah 
builded  an  altar  unto  Jehovah;  and  took  of  every 
clean  beast,  and  every  clean  bird,  and  offered  burnt- 
offerings  on  the  altar.  And  Jehovah  smelled  the 
sweet  savour;  and  Jehovah  said  in  His  heart,  I  will 
not  again  curse  the  ground  any  more  for  man's 
sake.'  This  is  the  Biblical  version,"  continues  Dr. 
Kent,  "  of  the  still  older  and  more  anthropomorphic 
Babylonian  account  of  the  deluge,  according  to 
which  : 

The  gods  inhaled  the  odour. 

The  gods  inhaled  the  sweet  odour, 

The  gods  gathered  like  flies  around  the  sacrifice. 

These  and  kindred  passages  suggest  that  the  primitive 

•  Page  354. 


Was  the  Law  Given  at  Sinai  ?  7 

reason  for  burning  the  whole  or  parts  of  the  sacrifice 
was  that  the  god  might  be  enabled  to  share  directly 
in  the  food  presented  to  him  in  this  less  material 
form."  In  other  words,  Dr.  Kent  imagines  the 
ancient  notion  to  have  been  that  the  gods  were  un- 
able to  partake  of  food  in  its  usual  form,  but  were 
able  to  assimilate  it  when  it  was  changed  into  smoke. 
If  he  had,  however,  explained  to  his  readers  that  the 
Hebrew  says  nothing  of  "  a  sweet  savour,"  but  tells 
ns  that  "  Jehovah  smelled  a  savour  of  that  which 
GiVETH  REST,"  the  resemblance  between  the  Scrip- 
tural and  the  Babylonian  conceptions  would  have 
disappeared.  God  is  satisfied  with  the  sacrifice  only 
because  it  is  a  promise  of  some  better  thing  yet  to 
come.  It  did  not  give  rest ;  but  it  was  a  savour  of 
that  which  would  bring  in  lasting  peace.  In  other 
words,  Noah's  altar  spoke  of  Calvary. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Was  the  Law  Given  at  Sinai  ? 


''T^HAT  is  the  vital  question  which  the  intellect 
A  and  conscience  of  Protestantism  have  now  to 
settle.  Everything  depends  upon  the  solution  reached. 
If  the  reply  is  in  the  affirmative,  the  Scriptures  may 
still  be  to  us,  and  to  our  children,  all  that  they  were 
to  our  fathers.  But  if  the  reply  is  in  the  negative, 
we  have  no  longer  a  Revelation.    The  forged  Jewish 


M  The  Book  of  Ejcodus. 

iaws  can  rank  no  higher  than  the  forged  decretals  of 
the  Papacy,  or  those  impositions  which  have  from 
time  to  time  disgraced  literature  and  to  which  we 
rightly  refuse  a  position  upon  our  shelves.  And  the 
value  of  the  New  Testament  will  not  be  much 
higher.  It  may  not  have  shared  in  the  imposture ; 
but,  seeing  that  it  accepts,  enforces,  and  builds  upon 
-this  Law  as  the  very  Word  of  God,  it  would  plainly 
rest  upon  essential  error. 

The  extracts  already  given  from  Dr.  Kent's  book 
show  that  this  is  the  value  now  put  upon  the  Scrip- 
ture by  himself  and  his  school.  To  those,  however, 
who  are  not  immersed  in  fatally  misleading  theories, 
but  who  are  able  to  give  a  candid  consideration  to 
facts,  the  Scripture  is  as  marvellous  and  as  Divine 
to-day  as  it  ever  was  to  man.  We  shall  see  how 
fully  the  student  of  Exodus  is  compelled  to  acknow- 
ledge that  the  very  structure  of  the  Book  is  pro- 
phetic, and,  therefore.  Divine.  He  will  require  no 
further  proof  that  the  contents  of  the  Book  are 
reliable,  and  that  it  records  facts  and  not  fictions. 
But  discoveries  are  daily  accumulating  that  are 
silencing  every  critical  contention,  while  they  mar- 
vellously confirm  and  illuminate  the  Scripture  history. 
A  word  or  two  may  be  fitly  given  to  these  before  we 
commence  our  study  of  this  Great  Book  of  the  Law. 

The  breaking  up  of  the  first  five  Books  of  the 
Old  Testament  into  fragments  is  professedly  justified 
by  what  Dr.  Kent,  with  refreshing  candour,  describes 
as  "the  maze  of  technical  pentateuchal  discussion."* 

•  Page  7, 


Was  the  Law  Given  at  Sinai  ?  9 

But  the  repudiation  of  their  Mosaic  authorship  is  a 
simpler  matter.  This  rested  first  of  all  upon  the 
supposed  non-existence  of  the  art  of  writing  in  the 
age  of  Moses.  It  was  assumed,  notwithstanding  the 
distinct  assurance  that  Moses  "  was  learned  in  all 
the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians"  (Acts  vii.22),that  he 
and  the  scattered  tribes,  which  critical  theories  sup- 
pose he  welded  into  a  people,  were  on  a  level  not 
much  higher  than  that  of  savagery.  It  was  only 
after  long  ages  had  passed  away  in  the  occupation  of 
Canaan  that  the  Hebrews  were  supposed  to  have 
learned  and  applied  the  art  of  writing.  Though  the 
critics  have  been  hard  pressed  by  recent  discoveries, 
this  is,  nevertheless,  a  position  which  they  still  main- 
tain. Speaking  of  what  he  calls  "the  agricultural 
stage  "  of  Israelitish  life  in  Palestine,  Dr.  Kent  says  : 
"  Under  the  radically  changed  conditions,  earlier 
customs  were  cast  aside  or  else  modified.  Written 
literature  became  a  possibility  and  a  necessity,  as  the 
social  and  religious  life  of  the  nation  became  more 
complex,  and  the  laws  regulating  it  multiplied."* 

It  also  follows  that,  if  the  condition  of  the 
Israelites  in  the  Mosaic  period  was — as  it  is  here 
represented  to  have  been — an  age  without  a  litera- 
ture and  without  writing,  then  it  is  plain  that  a 
body  of  Laws,  such  as  is  contained  in  the  Penta- 
teuch, was  an  impossibility.  How  could  such  an 
extensive  and  elaborate  legislation  have  been  received, 
and,  above  all,  how  could  it  have  been  perpetuated, 
without  writing  ?     All  that  was  needed  for  such  a 

♦Page  ♦• 


lO  The  Book  of  Elxodus. 

time  were  certain  customs  that  were  universally 
understood  and  acknowledged.  A  rude  state  of 
society,  such  as  that  of  Israel  in  the  13th,  or  rather 
the  i6th,  century  is  assumed  to  have  been,  required, 
and  was  able  to  utilise,  nothing  more.  Upon  these 
two  principles — that  the  time  was  (i)  too  early  for 
writing  and  (2)  too  rude  for  laws — hang  all  the  critical 
repudiation  of  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the  Law  and 
the  re-arrangement  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 

But  these  two  principles  can  be  no  longer  accepted 
by  any  man  worthy  of  the  name  of  scholar.  The 
discovery  of  the  Moabite  stone,  and  the  results  of 
investigation  in  Southern  Arabia,  have  left  little 
room  for  doubt  that  even  Hebrew  writing  is  older 
than  Moses.  But  the  notion,  that  the  time  of  Moses 
was  an  illiterate  period,  and  one  in  which  the  art  of 
writing  was  unknown,  can  no  longer  be  entertained 
by  anyone  acquainted  with  the  facts.  The  age  of 
Moses  was  one  of  the  most  literary  periods  in  the 
world's  entire  history.  Where  had  those  "  scattered 
tribes"  been,  of  which  the  critics  imagine  the  Israel 
of  Moses  to  have  been  composed  ?  Certainly  not  in 
Egypt ;  for  writing  was  universal  there,  and  litera- 
ture was  abundant.  Nor  could  they  have  been  in 
Palestine;  for  the  discovery  of  the  Tel-el-Amarna 
letters  has  shown  that  there  also  the  art  of  writing 
had  long  been  known  and  was  in  daily  use.  All 
over  the  East  in  the  time  of  Moses  that  art  was  in 
constant  exercise.  And  this  was  no  new  thing.  It  had 
been  the  custom  from  times  which  were  then  ancient. 
Boscawen  says :  "  In  Babylonia ;  to  write,  and  con- 


Was  the  Law  Given  at  Sinai  ?  1 1 

sequently  to  read,  was  a  duty  imposed  on  ali  except 
the  lowest  classes  of  the  people.  Among  tht  duties 
imposed  upon  the  parent  was  that  of  having  ^is  son 
taught  to  write ;  and  ample  proof  is  afforded  that 
there  were  regular  schools  and  colleges  attached  to 
most  of  the  temples  in  Babylonia — certainly  at 
Borsippa,  Nippur,  and  Larsa.  Another  proof  that 
the  majority  of  the  Babylonian  people  possessed 
some  of  the  elements  of  education  is  afforded  by  the 
large  number  of  contracts,  letters,  memoranda,  and 
even  jottings,  which  have  been  discovered,  and  the 
varieties  which  they  exhibit."*  And  he  adds  :  "  All 
doubt  as  to  the  literary  character  of  ancient  Chaldea 
is  now  removed, .and  the  result  has  far  exceeded  the 
wildest  dreams  of  Orientalists."t  This  Babylonian 
civilisation  had  for  ages  impressed  itself  upon  Pales- 
tine and  the  surrounding  regions ;  and  the  "  nomadic 
tribes"  of  the  critical  imagination  must  have  been 
out  of  the  world  to  have  been  ignorant  of  an  art 
whose  universal  use  was  one  of  the  great  char- 
acteristics of  the  time. 

But,  serious  as  this  collapse  of  the  first  of  the  two 
critical  principles  is,  it  is  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  ruin  which  has  overtaken  the  second. 
Never  again  can  any  man  hope  to  be  heard  who 
would  represent  the  Mosaic  age  as  too  early  for  such 
a  body  of  laws  as  we  find  in  the  Pentateuch.  There 
are  inscriptions  in  Babylonia  which  take  us  back 
about  2,000  years  beyond  the  time  of  Moses;  and 
'  there  are  references  in  these  which  imply  the  exist- 


'  riu  First  of  Empires,  p.  364         ♦  P««e  ^^j. 


12  The  Book  of  Elxodu$. 

ence  of  a  large  body  of  laws.  "  Judges  "  are  men- 
tioned in  the  most  ancient  inscriptions.  There  were 
law-courts  with  numerous  officials  in  the  time  of 
Gudea,  whose  time  takes  us  back  into  what  was  the 
dim  past  in  the  age  of  Moses.  In  an  inscription  on 
a  statue  of  Gudea's  there  is  an  account  of  the  cere- 
mony connected  with  the  laying  of  the  foundation 
of,  a  temple.  This  mentions  "  Judges,  doctors,  and 
chiefs  who  attended  in  state."*  Legal  procedure 
had  evidently  been  long  reduced  to  system.  There 
were  always  two  judges  in  a  case,  and  often  more. 
The  court  was  held  in  the  Temple.t 

A  recent  discovery,  however,  of  the  first  magnitude 
has  given  this  demonstration  an  unexpected  fulness 
and  finality.  In  December,  1901,  and  January, 
1902,  the  French  expedition  at  Susa,  which  has  done 
so  much  to  restore  a  knowledge  of  the  ancient 
capital  of  Elam,  made  its  most  memorable  achieve- 
ment. An  inscribed  block  was  discovered.  It  was 
in  three  pieces,  but  these  were  easily  joined  together. 
When  restored,  the  monument  was  found  to  be 
about  seven  feet  four  inches  high,  while  its  circum- 
ference at  the  top  was  five  feet  four  inches,  and  at 
the  bottom  six  feet  two  inches.  At  the  top  of  the 
fore-side  a  representation  is  sculptured  which  was  no 
doubt  intended  to  commend  the  inscription  which 
follows.  King  Hammurabi,  the  Amraphel  of  Gen.  xiv., 
is  receiving  from  the  god  Shamas  the  laws  recorded 
upon  the  stone.  These  are  set  forth  beneath  in 
sixteen  columns,  arranged  from  right  to  left.     Each 

♦  Boscawen,  Tkt  First  of  Empires,  p.  196.        \  Page  201. 


Was  the  Law  Given  at  Sinai?  13 

of  the  columns  contains  from  sixty-six  to  seventy- 
seven  lines  of  writing.  On  the  back  there  are 
twenty-eight  columns,  each  of  them  containing  from 
seventy-three  to  103  lines  of  writing.  Part  of  the 
inscription  has  been  chiselled  out,  evidently  by  order 
of  the  Elamite  conqueror  who  had  carried  the  stone 
to  Susa,  and  who  had  no  doubt  intended  to  record 
there  the  story  of  his  triumph. 

But  the  great  bulk  of  the  inscription  remains,  and 
this  has  placed  the  Pentateuch  controversy  in  an 
entirely  new  position.  The  supposed  isolation  of 
the  Law  of  Moses,  of  which  such  powerful  use  was 
made  to  discredit  its  claims,  has  suddenly  and 
finally  disappeared.  For  here  are  Hammurabi's  laws 
equally  detailed,  equally  elaborate,  and  indicating  an 
advanced  state  of  civilisation  between  400  and  500 
years  before  the  legislation  of  Sinai.  These  laws, 
too,  undoubtedly  carry  us  farther  back  than  the 
times  of  Abraham ;  for  the  code  of  Hammurabi  is 
only  an  authorised  edition  of  laws  that  had  long 
been  in  operation,  and  which  had  no  doubt  also 
existed  in  written  form  previous  to  his  time.  They 
regulate  the  home  life,  the  relations  between  masters 
and  slaves,  the  commercial  activity,  the  social  and, 
to  an  extent,  the  religious  duties  of  what  is  plainly 
a  highly-developed  civilisation.  These  laws,  indeed, 
are  in  many  instances  so  parallel  with  the  Laws  of 
Moses,  that  learned  comparisons  are  being  instituted 
between  them,  and  suggestions  are  already  being 
made  as  to  whether  Moses  was  not  indebted  to 
Hammurabi  for  much  of  the  Sinaitic  legislation. 


14  The  Book  of  Ejcodus. 

There  is  thus  a  danger  of  our  entering  upon  a 
new  controversy  before  we  have  settled  the  old  one. 
Let  me,  therefore,  point  out  that  this  discovery  has 
killed  the  critical  contention  that  the  time  of  Moses 
was  too  early  for  so  elaborate  a  code  of  laws.  The 
now  undoubted  fact,  that  five  hundred  years  and 
more  before  the  time  of  Moses  there  existed  a  body 
of  laws,  equally  elaborate,  and  containing  many 
similar  provisions,  has  made  the  repetition  of  that 
presumptuous  fallacy  impossible  to  any  well-informed 
and  honest  man.  For  how  can  it  be  said  that  such 
a  law  was  impossible  in  the  time  of  Moses,  when  it 
is  demonstrated  that  it  was  not  only  possible  but  was 
also  actually  in  existence  half  a  millennium  earlier? 

But  this  is  not  all.  The  discovery  at  Susa  has 
shown  us  that  the  Sinaitic  law  was  a  necessity. 
Diodorus  Siculus  has  informed  us  that  Egypt 
possessed  an  extensive  code  of  laws.  That  was  a 
necessity  for  a  State  which  had  existed  in  a  highly 
civilised  condition  long  ages  before  the  Exodus.  We 
now  learn,  as  we  have  just  seen,  that  Babylonia, 
Palestine,  and  the  surrounding  districts,  were  governed 
by  a  like  extensive  code.  What,  then,  was  Israel  to  do  ? 
Was  it  to  carry  with  it  the  Egyptian  code  ?  or  was  it 
to  lay  that  aside  and  to  adopt  Hammurabi's?  And 
when  we  have  answered  that  question,  we  are  con- 
fronted by  another.  If  it  chose  one  or  the  other  of 
these  codes,  how  could  it  separate  itself  from  the  life 
of  Egypt  and  of  Canaan  and  be  the  people  of 
Jehovah  ?  Or,  to  put  our  question  in  a  still  more 
pertinent    form,    how    could    Israel    be    Jehovah's 


Was  the  Law  Given  at  Sinai  ?  1 5 

people  unless  God  gave  them  the  directions  that 
were  needful  and  made  known  to  them  His  ways? 
A  specific  law  for  this  people,  which  was  to  be 
separate  from  the  nations,  was  an  absolute  necessity. 
Without  it  the  Exodus  would  have  been  a  fruitless 
experience,  and  the  world  would  still  have  had  to 
wait  for  the  nation  which  should  be  the  priest  of 
Jehovah,  and,  by-and-bye,  His  messenger  to  the 
peoples  of  the  earth. 

It  need  not  be  said  that  this  is  fully  borne  out  by 
constant  references  to  the  Law  in  the  earlier  Books 
of  the  Old  Testament.  The  Law  is  in  existence 
when  Joshua  crosses  the  Jordan.  The  study  of  it  is 
to  be  the  condition  of  the  new  Leader's  success: 
"  This  Book  of  the  Law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy 
mouth ;  but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein  day  and 
night,  that  thou  mayest  observe  to  do  all  that  is 
written  therein :  for  then  thou  shalt  make  thy  way 
prosperous,  and  then  thou  shalt  have  good  success  " 
(Josh.  i.  8).  And  so  in  Judges  and  the  following  Books 
the  commandments,  the  covenant,  the  promises, 
and  the  threatenings  contained  in  the  Law  are 
constantly  referred  to.  But  there  is  one  highly- 
significant  passage,  the  authenticity  of  which  is  ad- 
mitted, and  which  is  quite  sufficient  to  settle  this 
question  even  if  it  stood  alone.  Speaking  of  Ephraim's 
idolatry,  God  says  (Hosea  viii.  12) :  "  I  have  written 
to  him  the  great  things  of  My  Law,  but  they  were 
accounted  as  a  strange  thing."  The  words,  "the 
great  things  of  My  Law,"  refer  not  so  much  to  the 
importance  of  the  commandments  as  to  the  muUi- 


i6  The  Book  of  Exodus. 

tude  of  them.  The  words  so  rendered  are  literally : 
"  I  have  written  for  him  the  multitudes  " — the  multi- 
tudinous things — "of  My  Law."  Here,  then,  in 
Hosea's  time,  there  is  a  Law  of  Jehovah,  named  by 
the  name  which  has  always  been  applied  to  the  first 
five  Books  of  Scripture — the  Thorah.  It  is  not  even 
in  Hosea's  time  a  new  thing.  It  has  been  in  the 
hands  of  his  people  for  ages.  It  was  given  to 
Ephraim  and  has  been  finally  set  aside  by  the  nation. 
It  has  contained  not  a  few  commandments  only.  It 
challenges  attention,  on  the  contrary,  by  the  multitude 
of  its  injunctions,  showing  how  fully  God  has  cared 
for  all  that  concerns  His  people.  And,  to  crown  all, 
this  is  not  an  oral,  but  a  written.  Law.  "  I  have 
WRITTEN  for  him,"  says  God,  "the  multitudinous 
things  of  My  Law."  If  the  reader  will  turn  back  to 
Dr.  Kent's  table  on  page  5  he  will  find  that  in 
800  B.C.  the  critical  theory  permits  only  some  five 
chapters  of  the  Law  to  exist.  And,  nevertheless, 
Hosea,  in  the  8th  century  B.C.  writes  for  Israel  these 
solemn  words,  in  which  they  are  condemned  for  the 
neglect  and  the  practical  repudiation  of  a  written 
Law  which  in  its  multitudinous  directions  was  co- 
extensive with  their  needs.  What  Law  could  this  have 
been,  if  not  the  very  Law  of  Moses  ?  If  it  was  in  the 
possession  of  the  ten  tribes  in  the  time. of  Hosea,  it 
is  plain  that  it  must  have  been  known  to  the  whole 
people  before  their  separation  into  the  antagonistic 
kingdoms  of  Israel  and  of  Judah. 


The  Law  was  Written  in  Boob.  17 

CHAPTER   III. 
The  Law  was  written  in  Books. 


THE  beginning  of  the  Law  was  given  by  God 
directly  to  the  people  (Exodus  xx.  1-17)  at 
Horeb,  and  then  afterwards  through  Moses,  who 
met  with  God  in  the  Mount.  The  directions  for  the 
sacrifices  and  the  other  Laws  contained  in  Leviticus 
were  spoken  from  the  Tabernacle,  the  dwelling-place 
which  Israel  had  erected  for  Jehovah  in  the  midst 
of  their  own  dwelling-places,  and  which  He  had 
graciously  accepted  (Leviticus  i.  i).  The  directions 
for  the  separation  and  location  of  the  tribes,  for  the 
consecration  of  the  Levites,  the  order  of  march,  and 
the  advance  to  the  promised  land  were  also  issued 
from  this  earthly  dwelling-place  of  Jehovah  (Num. 
i.  i).  But,  in  recording  all  this  for  that  and  for  after 
generations,  a  striking  departure  is  made  from  what 
we  may  call  ordinary  procedure.  Usually,  in  such 
circumstances,  we  should  have  had  a  continuous 
history.  The  story  would  have  gone  on,  giving  the 
incidents  of  one  day  after  another,  just  as  we  find 
them  recorded  in  so  large  a"  part  of  the  Book  of 
Exodus.  The  story  would  have  gone  on  without 
a  break,  beginning  with  the  commencement  of  these 
experiences,  and  ending  with  their  termination.  By 
that  method,  however,  it  would  have  been  the  history 
which  would  have  held  the  chief  place  in  the  reader's 
thought.     The  Laws  and  the  Divine  arrangements 


i8  The  Book  of  Exodus. 

would  have  ranked  among  the  ordinary  incidents  of 
the  narrative.  But  this  would,  in  a  measure,  have 
defeated  the  Divine  purpose.  So  the  ordinary  plan 
is  abandoned,  and  another  is  adopted.  The  Law  is 
made  the  chief  thing;  and  the  history  becomes 
merely  its  illustration.  Instead  of  one  Book  we 
have  four,  each  of  which  sets  forth  some  one  aspect 
of  the  Law.  Those  commandments  of  God  were 
evidently  not  to  be  hid  away  in  the  annals  of  early 
Israel.  It  will  be  observed  how  the  Divine  oversight 
of  these  Books  and  their  arrangement  here  manifests 
itself.  Sinai  is  to  endure.  Israel  is  not  to  be  gathered 
round  the  doings  of  that  generation  of  their  fathers; 
but  they  are  to  be  gathered,  along  with  that  genera- 
tion, around  these  commandments  of  God.  Those 
four  Books  (Exodus  to  Deuteronomy)  will  be  the 
nation's  School  and  Temple  ;  and  from  one  court 
and  one  chamber  to  another  each  generation  will  pass, 
with  widening  knowledge  of,  and  with  fuller  obedi- 
ence to,  the  commandments  of  Jehovah. 

The  reader  will  also  note  the  indication  which  is 
met  with  here,  that  the  Builder  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment was  also  the  Builder  of  the  Old  Testament. 
The  four-fold  Gospel  was  preceded  by  the  four-fold 
Law.  The  Israelites  were  led  back  again  and  again 
to  the  Law  as  we  are  now  led  back  again  and  again 
to  Christ.  That  fourfoldness  gave  to  the  Law  its 
central  position,  just  as  the  four-fold  Gospel  gathers 
all  generations  of  the  Church  round  the  Master. 
That,  therefore,  which  is  fundamental  in  both  Testa- 
ments, and  around  which  everything  else  in  each  is 


The  Law  was  Written  in  Books.  19 

gathered,  is  thus  held  forth  and  emphasised  by  the 
same  simple  and  unique  plan.  But  what  we  have  to 
note  specially  now  is  that  this  has  been  done,  not  by 
giving  a  large  space  to  the  Law  and  to  the  Life  of 
Jesus,  but  in  setting  each  forth  in  four  separate  and 
distinct  Books.  Those  Books  in  each  case  set  their 
great  theme  before  us  from  four  different  points  of 
view.  This  fact  is  being  increasingly  recognised  in 
the  Gospels ;  and  we  shall  have  evidence  enough  of 
it  even  in  the  analysis  of  this  Book  of  Exodus  upon 
which  we  are  about  to  enter.  But  it  is  important  to 
notice  that  the  wisdom  manifested  in  that  arrange- 
ment has  had  to  wait  long  for  recognition.  In  the 
second  century  of  the  Christian  era  there  was  a 
certain  impatience  experienced  with  the  four-fold 
presentation  of  the  life  of  Christ ;  and,  when  Tatian 
produced  his  *'  Diatessaron,"  or  harmony  of  the 
Gospels,  it  was  adopted  by  the  Syrian  Churches 
almost  to  the  entire  exclusion  of  the  Canonical 
Gospels.  It  was  on  that  account  that  the  Diatessaron 
was  afterwards  hunted  down,  so  that  for  a  long  time 
it  was  supposed  to  have  utterly  perished. 

Although  no  such  attempt  appears  to  have  been 
made  to  harmonise  the  Law,  yet  the  Jews  have 
shown  a  similar  disinclination  "to  cordially  accept  this 
Divine  arrangement  of  it.  Genesis  to  Deuteronomy 
has  been  to  them  one  Book ;  and  they  have  acknow- 
ledged the  five-fold  division  in  a  somewhat  peculiar 
way.  They  speak  of  the  whole  as  **  the  five-fifths  of 
the  Law,"  thus  emphasising  the  unity  and  minimising 
— one  might  say  ignoring — the  diversity.    This  has 


20  The  Book  of  Ejcodus. 

an  important  bearing  upon  present  discussions.  The 
critics  refer  everything  to  "the  sources."  These 
"  sources  "  are  supposed  to  have  been  more  or  less 
continuous  narratives  by  various  writers.  And,  when 
the  critical  labours  are  concluded,  and  we  have 
before  us  "the  ascertained  results  of  the  higher 
criticism,"  we  have  a  narrative,  or  narratives,  but 
no  longer  Books.  This  we  have  already  seen  to  be 
the  result  of  Dr.  Kent's  analysis.  It  is  equally  con- 
spicuous in  Baentsch's  volume  on  "Exodus — Leviticus 
— Numeri."  *  These  three  Books  are  run,  as  we  shall 
see,  into  one.  Dillmann  and  others  arrange  them 
similarly.  The  Book-divisions  disappear;  and,  so 
far  as  Exodus,  Leviticus,  and  Numbers  are  concerned, 
we  have  one  narrative  instead  of  three. 

Now  all  this  impatience  with  the  four-fold  arrange- 
ment of  the  Law  evinced  by  Jew  and  Gentile  surely 
indicates  that  it  is  an  arrangement  which  is  not  of 
man.  That  impression  is  deepened  when  we  mark 
how  it  has  "  magnified  the  Law,"  and  given  it  from 
the  first  the  commanding  place  which  it  was  needful 
it  should  have  in  the  thought  and  the  affections  of 
the  people.  That,  again,  seems  to  be  the  arranging  of 
a  Divine  hand.  But  if,  in  addition  to  all  this,  we  dis- 
cover that  each  Book  has  had  a  distinct  mission ;  that 
-  each  has  placed  the  Laws  which  it  records,  and  the 
institutions  it  sets  forth,  in  a  light  that  has  endeared 
and  hallowed  them  to  the  people  of  God ;  and  that 
each  presents  besides  a  great  prophetic  picture  of 
God's  salvation  and  of  God's  Church  throughout  all 

* H and-Commtntar  xum  Allen  Testament,  Gbttingeo,  tgoj. 


The  Diyisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodus.     2i 

time — what  shall  we  say?  Is  it  possible  that  the 
conception  and  the  execution  of  such  Books  should 
be  of  man  ?  Such  a  revelation  of  their  nature  will 
prove  not  only  that  they  are  of  God;  but  will  also 
demonstrate  that  God  is,  and  that  He  is  the  God  of 
our  salvation. 


CHAPTER   IV. 
The  Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodus. 


THE  Jewish  name  of  Exodus  consists  of  the 
opening  words  of  the  Book,  Ve  Elleh  Shem6iJ», 
**  And  these  are  the  names."  In  this  we  now  know 
that  the  Jews  followed  the  ancient  custom  of  the  East, 
the  most  ancient  classics  of  Babylonia  being  cited  in 
the  same  way.  That  may  possibly  be  due  to  the 
practice  pf  committing  such  books  to  memory  and 
of  reciting  them  at  religious  festivals.  The  opening 
words  would  thus  be  all  that  was  necessary  to  cite 
the  book,  just  as  to-day  the  opening  words  of  a 
psalm  or  of  a  hymn  are  quite  sufficient  to  identify  or 
recall  it.  But,  when  the  Greek  translators  undertook 
to  give  the  Septuagint  to  the  world  in  the  beginning 
of  the  third  century  B.C.,  something  more  had  to  be 
done  in  providing  a  name  for  the  Book.  For  us 
Westerns  it  is  not  enough  that  a  book  should  be 
indicated:  we  require  to  have  it  described.  The 
name  must  sum  up  more  or  less  fully  its  contents ; 
and  so  the  second  Book  of  the  Pentateuch  was  called 


22  The  Book  of  Exodus. 

"the  Exodus,"  that  is,  "the  going-forth,"  a  name 
which  has  happily  expressed  the  great  deliverance 
which  the  Book  records. 

In  regard  to  the  leading  divisions  and  the  plan  of 
the  Book  we  find  general  agreement  among  exposi- 
tors, but  not  unanimity.  Baentsch,  ignoring  the 
division  of  the  Law  into  Books,  divides  the  contents 
of  Exodus,  Leviticus,  and  Numbers  as  follows: 

(i)  The  work  of  deliverance.     Exodus  ii. — xv.  21. 

(2)  Israel   in    the    Wilderness.     Exodus   xv.  22 — 

Numbers  xx.  13. 

(3)  From  Kadesh  to  the  Plains  of  Moab.    Numbers 

XX.  14 — xxxvi. 

Dillmann's  division  of  Exodus  to  Numbers  x.  10 
follows  similar  lines : 

(i)  The  deliverance  of  Israel  from  Egypt.     Ex.  i. — 
XV.  21. 

(2)  The  journey  to   Sinai  and  the  forming  of  the 

Covenant.     Exodus  xv.  22 — xxiv.  11. 

(3)  The  revelations  to  Moses  on  Sinai,  the  breaking 

and  renewing  of  the  covenant.     Ex.  xxiv.  12 
— xxxiv.  35. 

(4)  Restoration  of  the  regulations  and  ordinances  to 

the  congregation  at  Sinai.     Exodu€  xxxv. — 
Numbers  x.  10. 

As  summaries  of  the  contents  of  these  three  Books 
there  is  no  good  ground  for  objecting  to  the  above. 
But  in  our  effort  to  understand  this  first  Book  they 
embarrass  us.  They  excite  a  doubt  as  to  whether  the 
Book  should  have  concluded  with  its  fortieth  chapter. 


The  Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodus.      23 

For,  if  the  story  told  by  Exodus  really  runs  on  in 
that  way  into  Leviticus  and  Numbers,  why  did  not 
the  writer  of  Exodus  continue,  and  so  give  us  one 
Book  instead  of  three  ?     Dillmann,  Baentsch,  and 
the  others  who  cling  to  the  above  divisions,  are  not 
content  to  explain  the  Law  as  it  has  been  conveyed 
to  us.    Their  aim  is  more  ambitious.    They  desire  to 
set  aside  its  present  order  and  form,  and  to  impart 
to  the  Law  of  Jehovah  a  systematic  arrangement, 
which,  in  their  view,  it  has  sadly  lacked  from  the  first. 
Holzinger,  in  his  volume  on  Exodus,*  adopts  a 
two-fold  division:  (i)  L — XVIIL.the  redemption  of 
Lsrael ;  and  (2)  XIX.— XL.,  the  giving  of  the  Law  at 
Sinai.  A  much  less  logical,  but  more  popular,  division 
has  been  generally  adopted.     The  first  Part  of  the 
Book,  we  lidVC  been  told,  contains  the  history,  anvJ 
the  second  Part  cuutairis  the  Laws.     That  division 
has  laboured  under  two  weighty  objections.     There 
has,  first  of  all,  been  a  difficulty  in  defining  exactly 
where  the  history  ends  and  the  laws  begin.     Some 
have    confined    the    history    to    the    first    eighteen 
chapters    and    the    laws    to    the    last    twenty-two. 
Others  have  thought  to  improve  upon  this  by  alter- 
ing the  point  of  division.    Some  of  them  have  made 
the  first  nineteen  chapters  to  constitute  Part  L,  and 
the  last  twenty-one  chapters  to  form  Part  IL    Others, 
again,  have  halved  the  Book,  giving  the  first  twenty 
chapters  to  the  history,  and  the  last  twenty  to  the 
Laws.     It  is  not  surprising  that,  with  all  this  uncer- 
tainty, the  unsatisfactory  character  of  the  division 

•  Exodus  Erklarl  von  H.  Holzinger  (Tubingen,  J.  C.  B.  Mohr). 


24  The  Book  of  Exodus. 

should  be  openly  confessed.  A  clear  partition,  we  are 
told,  is  impossible ;  "  for  there  are  laws  in  the  history, 
and  there  is  history  in  the  laws  "I  The  climax  of 
this  confusion  is  reached  when  we  are  told,  as  we  are 
told  by  some,  that  the  Book  is  "  badly  arranged  *' ! 

Goethe  has  expressed  a  similar  judgment.  Refer- 
ring to  the  difficulty  experienced  in  following  out 
certain  lines  of  investigation,  he  has  said  that 
Exodus  and  the  following  Books  have  been  "won- 
derfully, indeed  unhappily,  edited."*  This  simply 
means  that  they  are  not  arranged  in  such  a  manner 
as  best  suits  investigators  like  himself.  In  Temple 
Records,  or  State  Annals,  contenting  themselves 
with  a  bare  recital  of  events  as  they  transpired,  and 
giving  a  continuous  narrative,  no  such  difficulty 
would  be  encountered.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
very  fact  that  the  difficulty  is  met  with  has  only  one 
explanation.  These  are  Books  not  in  form  only,  but 
also  in  reality.  Each  has  its  own  design,  and  is 
handing  on,  not  merely  a  knowledge  of  the  events, 
but  also  a  reading  of  them  that  was  vitally  important 
both  for  that  age  to  which  they  were  first  given,  and 
for  ages  that  were  then  to  come.  The  Books  are, 
on  this  account,  not  history  only,  but  also  a  revela- 
tion. It  is  our  wisdom,  therefore,  instead  of  com- 
plaining that  the  Books  are  not  written  in  our  way, 
to  study  them  patiently  and  permit  them  to  disclose 
their  purpose. 

Discarding  accordingly  all  the  foregoing  divisions, 
we  turn  to  Exodus,  and  read  its  pages  for  ourselves. 

*Q«o(ed  br  Holfinger,  Exodut  BrkUrt,  &  X. 


The  Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodus.      25 

We  discover  that  the  narrative  proceeds  in  the  closest 
possible  connection,  and  with  a  dramatic  power  that 
invests  it  with  perennial  interest.  We  are,  first  of  all, 
reminded  of  the  seventy  souls  that  went  down  into 
Egypt.  We  are  told  of  their  rapid  increase ;  of  the 
alarm  of  the  new  race  of  Pharaohs  that  are  now  the 
lords  of  Goshen ;  of  the  bitter  persecution  to  which 
the  Israelites  are  subjected,  in  the  vain  expectation 
that  they  may  fade  away ;  and  of  the  last  device  of  the 
Egyptian  king — the  slaughter  of  the  male  children. 

All  this  is  told  in  one  brief  chapter.  Then  comes 
the  story  of  the  birth  of  Moses ;  his  preservation ; 
his  visitation  of  his  brethren;  the  defeat  of  his 
attempt  to  save  them ;  his  flight  and  long  exile ;  his 
meeting  with  God  at  Horeb ;  his  being  sent  back  to 
Egypt  to  demand  the  freedom  of  Israel;  and  the 
opening  scenes  of  his  embassy.  Here  there  is  one 
definite  line  pursued ;  and,  while  every  scene  that  is 
presented  is  distinct  and,  indeed,  vivid,  the  narrative 
proceeds  with  a  swiftness  that  is  unparallleled  in  any 
literature  we  are  acquainted  with  outside  the  Bible. 
But  at  the  12th  verse  of  chapter  vi.  the  swift 
onward  career  of  the  history  is  suspended.  We  read 
there  that  Moses  in  despair  declines  to  carry  any 
further  demand  to  Pharaoh. 

••  And  Moses  spake  before  Jehovah,  saying, 
Behold,  the  children  of  Israel  have  not  listened 
to  me ;  and  how  shall  Pharaoh  listen  to  me, 
and  I  a  man  of  uncircumcised  lips?"  (ver.  12). 
At  these  words — as  if  they  marked  a  crisis  in  the 
history — the  narrative  stops.     We  are  not  told  what 


26  The  Book  of  Exodus. 

God  replied.     Nothing  is  said  as  to  whether  the  de- 
clinature of  Moses  is  accepted  or  not.   Instead  of  that 
the  narrative  makes  a  new  beginning,  and  we  read: 
"  And  Jehovah  spoke  to  Moses  and  to  Aaron, 
and  gave  them  a  commandment  to  the  children 
of   Israel,  and   to   Pharaoh   king  of   Egypt,  to 
cause   the  children  of  Israel  to  go  up  out   of 
the   land   of  Egypt.     These    are  the  heads   of 
the  house  of  their  fathers,"  &c.  (verses  13,  14). 

This  might  have  stood  at  the  commencement  of 
the  history ;  and  it  plainly  marks  the  beginning  of  a 
second  part  of  it.  But,  when  we  have  noted  this, 
we  have  not  seized  all  that  is  indicated  here.  It  is 
a  new  beginning  ;  but  why  is  a  new  beginning  made  ? 
What  follows  explains.  The  impotence  of  the 
servant  has  called  for  the  intervention  of  the  Master. 
The  ambassador  has  made  his  demand :  Israel  also 
has  expostulated  and  entreated :  and  now  God's 
hand  knocks  at  the  door  of  the  king's  council- 
chamber.  The  conflict  from  this  point  onward  is 
one  not  of  words,  but  of  deeds :  it  is  war  between 
Egypt  and  the  Almighty.  The  break  in  the  narra- 
tive is,  consequently,  another  and  still  higher  indica- 
tion of  the  marvellous  skill  with  which  every  scene 
has  been  set  before  us,  and  by  which  every  picture 
has  been  perfected.  A  new  beginning  is  made  in 
the  history  just  at  the  point  when  a  new  and  striking  j 
series  of  events  is  to  be  introduced.  Let  us  observe,  i 
too,  that  Moses  is  not  discarded.  The  confession  of  : 
his  impotence  is  met  by  a  new  investiture  of  power; 
and  Egypt  and  we  are  to  be  witnesses  of  the  unex- 


The  Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Elxodus.      27 

ampled  and  eternally  memorable  triumph  of  this 
poor  beaten  man.  And  so  when  the  new  commence- 
ment has  thus  been  made,  we  are  brought  back,  in 
verse  30,  to  the  point  at  which  the  story  was  inter- 
rupted : 

"And  Moses  said  before  Jehovah,  Behold,  I 
am  a  man  of  uncircumcised  lips,  and  how 
shall  Pharaoh  listen  to  me  ?"  (verse  30). 

From  that  point  the  narrative  flows  on  again 
along  its  own  well-defined  course. 

Before  we  inquire  where  the  next  break  occurs,  let 
us  clearly  mark  what  this  first  part  of  the  history 
concerns  itself  with.  It  is  the  story  of  Moses. 
After  a  brief  statement  as  to  the  deadly  persecution 
of  Israel  and  its  Cause,  we  are  told  of  Moses'  birth, 
his  deliverance  from  slaughter,  his  early  training,  the 
identifying  of  himself  with  his  people,  his  flight,  his 
meeting  with  God,  his  being  sent  to  Egypt,  and  his 
effort  to  obtain  the  king's  consent,  and  to  plant  faith 
in  Israel's  heart.  These  are  the  contents  of  the 
first  part  of  the  Book.  But,  while  they  form  the 
story  of  Moses,  it  will  be  recognised  that  it  is  Moses' 
story  as  the  man  is  seen  in  one  definite  relationship. 
Nothing  whatever  is  told  us  of  his  history  as  a  prince 
of  Egypt.  The  Scripture  has.  said  that  he  was 
"  mighty  in  words  and  deeds "  (Acts  vii.  22) ;  but 
none  of  those  acts  or  sayings  is  recorded  here. 
During  those  forty  years  spent  in  Midian,  too,  there 
was  doubtless  much  that  would  have  adorned  a 
history  and  have  interested  posterity ;  but  as  to  this 
also  there  is  utter  silence.     The  Scripture  concerns 


28  The  Book  of  Elxodus. 

itself  here  with  Moses  as  prepared  for  this  work  oj 
deliverance,  and  with  that  only.  Putting  this,  then, 
into  words,  the  subject  of  the  first  Part  of  Exodus 
is — The  story  of  the  Redeemer  of  God's  people. 

Having  found  this  suggestive  division  so  plainly 
marked  off  by  the  Book  itself,  it  is  natural  for  us  to 
ask  whether  other  dividing  lines  have  been  similarly 
drawn.  Turning  once  more,  therefore,  to  the  narra- 
tive, we  find  a  like  suspension  of  the  story  of  events 
in  the  twelfth  chapter.  We  have  been  told  of 
Pharaoh's  sudden  surrender,  of  the  proclamation  of 
liberty  for  the  Israelites  and  of  the  pressure  brought 
to  bear  upon  them  to  leave  Egypt  at  once  (31-33). 
The  narrative  describes  their  hurried  departure, 
loaded  with  the  presents  of  the  Egyptians ;  their 
marching  with  a  force  600,000  strong,  with  a  mixed 
multitude,  "  and  flocks  and  herds,  even  very  much 
cattle."  It  is  then  noted  that,  notwithstanding  the 
confusion  and  bustle  attending  their  hurried  de- 
parture, the  special  character  of  this  first  paschal 
season  was  Providentially  preserved,  so  that  even 
those  days  of  excitement  and  haste  were  days  of 
unleavened  bread.  **  They  baked  unleavened  cakes 
of  the  dough  which  they  brought  forth  out  of  Egypt, 
for  it  was  not  leavened ;  because  they  were  thrust 
out  of  Egypt,  and  could  not  tarry,  neither  had  they 
prepared  for  themselves  any  victual "  (39).  Here  the 
story  is  a  second  time  momentarily  suspended.  And, 
during  this  pause,  so  to  speak,  the  reader  is  called 
upon  to  note  two  things.  First,  God's  promise  had 
been    kept.     The    covenant    made   with    Abraham 


The  Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodus.      29 

(Gen.  XV.  9-21)  had  been  observed  to  the  letter.  From 
Abraham's  call  to  the  birth  of  Isaac  thirty  years  had 
elapsed.  The  interval  from  Isaac's  birth  to  the  end 
of  Israel's  sojourning,  persecution,  and  bondage,  the 
prediction  had  described  as  a  period  of  400  years : 
"And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  the  four  hundred 
and  thirty  years,  even  the  self-same  day  it  came  to 
pass,  that  all  the  hosts  of  the  Lord  went  out  from 
the  land  of  Egypt  "  (41).  Then,  secondly,  Israel  had 
passed  into  this  deliverance  through  the  Passover.  That 
was  the  gateway  by  which  they  entered  into  freedom. 
God's  command  is  consequently  re-stated  (43).  The 
details  which  made  it  specially  Israel's  feast  are  again 
placed  upon  record  (43-49).  And  now  those  two  things 
are  joined  together'  as  effect  and  cause,  deliverance 
and  its  explanations:  "Thus  did  all  the  children  of 
Israel;  as  the  Lord  commanded  Moses  and  Aaron 
so  did  they.  And  it  came  to  pass  the  self-same  day, 
that  the  Lord.did  bring  the  children  of  Israel  out  o 
the  land  of  Egypt  by  their  armies"  (50-51).  The 
reader  will  note  the  repeated  reference  to  the  fact 
that  Jehovah  had  kept  His  promise  to  a  day.  And 
so  here,  as  in  the  previous  break  in  the  story,  we  are 
brought  back  again,  by  that  repetition,  to  the  point 
at  which  the  narrative  was  for  the  moment  suspended. 
We  paused  to  mark  first  of  all  that  the  promise  was 
kept  to  a  day;  and  now,  with  the  fresh  reminder 
that  "  it  came  to  pass  the  self-same  day,"  the  history 
once  more  resumes  its  course. 

Recognising  this,  then,  as  the  second  dividing  line, 
what  is  it  that  is  enclosed  between  it  and  the  pre- 


30  The  Book  of  Exodus. 

ceding  one?     Have  we  here  a  second  distinct  and 
separable    part   of    the   history?     As   soon  as  that 
question  is  considered,  we  are  surprised  by  the  reply. 
At  vi.  12  Moses,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  in  despair. 
He  is  unable  to  waken  hope  in  the  breasts  of  his 
own  people,  and  he  declares  that  it  is  vain  for  him 
to   go   to  Pharaoh  with   a   demand  which   he   has 
definitely  rejected,  and  with  pretensions  which  the 
Egyptian  king  has  already  scorned.     And  what  have 
we  now  at  xii.  39  ?     The  people  of  Israel  completely 
delivered !     They  are  delivered  with  a  completeness 
unexampled  in  history.     Blow  after  blow  from  God's 
own   hand   has  descended  upon  Egypt;    and    now 
Pharaoh  and  the  Egyptians  are  more  eager  to  see 
the    Israelites  away  than  ever  they  were  to  retain 
them.    They  send  them  away  with  honour  and  laden 
with  treasure.     Instead  of  the  slave  they  see  in  the 
Hebrew  the  favoured  and  the  chosen  of  the  Almighty. 
To  sum    up  then :    at  the  commencement   of   this 
Division  of  the  Book  the  Israelites  are  unrelieved. 
The  Divine  intervention  on  their  behalf  has   only 
served  to  add  to  their  afflictions.     And  now  at  the 
end  of  the  Section  the  work  of  deliverance  is  done. 
Nothing  requires  to  be  added  to  it.     Israel,  with  all 
its  possessions,  and  marshalled  in  its  armies,  is  there 
outside  the  Egyptian  border.     Plainly,  therefore,  we 
find  here  a  distinct  portion  of  the  history — it  is  tht 
story  of  the  Redemptive  work. 

Reading  through  the  remaining  chapters  we  fail  to 
discover  any  other  dividing  line.  There  is  no  other 
break  in  the  narrative  and  no  resuming  of  the  story 


The  Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodus.      31 

by  the  repetition  of  a  previous  statement.  On  the 
contrary,  all  flows  on  evenly  from  xii.  41  to  the  end 
of  chapter  xl.  Do  these  more  than  twenty-eight 
chapters,  then,  deal  also  with  one  theme  ?  Are  they 
a  distinct  and  separable  portion  of  the  narrative, 
carrying  on  to  its  conclusion  the  history  begun  and 
detailed  in  the  two  preceding  Sections?  To  answer 
that  question  we  must  once  more  turn  to  the  history. 
At  the  first  glance  we  might  be  inclined  to  say  that 
these  concluding  chapters  contained  the  record  of 
the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea;  of  the  journey  to 
Sinai ;  of  the  giving  of  the  Law,  &c.,  &c.,  &c. ;  and  so 
to  see  in  them  something  that  is  very  far  from  a 
unity.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  draw  up  a  catalogue 
of  facts ;  for  these  lie  upon  the  surface.  It  is  not 
quite  so  easy  to  discover  their  connection  and  signifi- 
cance; but,  until  that  is  done,  nothing  worthy  of  the 
name  is  achieved  in  science,  and  just  as  little  is 
accomplished  'in  the  interpretation  of  Scripture. 
When  we  ask,  however,  whether  there  is  any  link  of 
connection  between  these  events,  we  find  a  most 
welcome  hint  in  the  closing  verses  of  chapter  xiii. 

"And  they  departed  from  Succoth,  and  tn- 
camped  in  Etham,  in  the  edge  of  the  wildei- 
ness.  And  Jehovah  kept  going  before  them  by 
day  in  a  pillar  of  a  cloud,  for  the  leading  of  them 
in  the  way;  and  by  night  in  a  pillar  of  fire,  to 
give  them  light,  to  go  by  day  and  by  night :  He 
did  not  withdraw  the  pillar  of  the  cloud  by  day, 
nor  the  pillar  of  the  fire  by  night,  from  before 
the  people  "  (verses  20-22). 


32  The  Book  of  Exodus. 

Let  me  ask  the  reader's  attention  first  to  the  fact 
that  this  happened  as  "  they  departed  from  Succoth." 
That  is,  in  other  words,  just  when  this  third  part  of 
the  history  begins.  The  portion  which  intervenes 
(xii.41 — xiii.  ig)  is  explanatory  and  introductory.  It 
is  only  in  the  above  verses  that  we  see  Israel  passing 
out  into  the  experiences  for  which  all  that  has  pre- 
viously transpired  has  been  the  preparation.  The 
second  point  to  be  marked  is  that  what  is  here 
described  is  characteristic  of  the  whole  wilderness 
sojourn.  Not  only  have  we  the  continuative  form  of 
the  verb,  "  kept  going,"  but  also  the  emphatic  state- 
ment that  God  **  did  not  withdraw  the  pillar  of  cloud 
by  day,  nor  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night  from  before  the 
people."  All  this,  however,  is  nothing  in  comparison 
with  the  stupendous  fact  itself.  What  was  this  that 
appeared  now  for  the  first  time,  and  that  was  con- 
tinued throughout  the  whole  of  those  eventful  forty 
years  ?  It  was  the  manifested  presence  of  God  at 
the  head  of  the  armies  of  Israel.  The  day  revealed 
it:  the  night  could  not  hide  it.  God  Himself  assumed 
the  leadership  of  Israel.  Moses  did  not  become  less 
to  Israel;  but  God  Himself  takes  here  in  visible 
manifestation  the  leadership  of  the  people.  The 
great  outstanding  fact  in  connection  with  that 
journey  is  that  God,  the  Creator  of  heaven  and 
earth,  is  with  this  people,  guiding  and  defending 
them.  I  have  said  that  this  strikes  the  key-note  of 
the  third  portion  of  the  history.  Israel  goes  to  Sinai; 
but  why  ?  It  is  to  behold  God's  glory  :  to  hear  His 
voice:  to  receive  from  His  own  lips  and  His  owa 


The   Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodus.      33, 

hand  the  Law  which  makes  known  His  way.  And 
how  does  the  Book  end  ?  The  last  sixteen  chapters 
(xxv. — xl.)  are  occupied  with  the  building  of  a  Taber- 
nacle that  God  the  Lord  may  dwell  among  them,  and 
that  this  union  between  God  and  His  people  may  be 
perfected  and  abiding.  And,  with  the  record  of  the 
Divine  acceptance  of  that  dwelling-place,  the  Book 
of  Exodus  ends,  and  so  completes  its  mission. 
Moses,  we  are  told,  "  reared  up  the  court  round 
about  the  Tabernacle  and  the  altar,  and  set  up  the 
hanging  of  the  court  gate.  So  Moses  finished  the 
work.  Then  a  cloud  covered  the  tent  of  the  congre- 
gation, and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  Taber- 
nacle. And  Moses  was  not  able  to  enter  into  the 
tent  of  the  congregation,  because  the  cloud  abode 
thereon,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  Taber- 
nacle "  (33-35).  Henceforth  that  Tabernacle  became 
the  palace  of  the  great  King,  and  from  it  He  directed 
the  movements  of  the  host.  "  When  the  cloud  was 
taken  up  from  over  the  Tabernacle,  the  children  of 
Israel  went  onward  in  their  journeys  :  but  if  the 
cloud  were  not  taken  up,  then  they  journeyed  not 
till  the  day  that  it  was  taken  up.  For  the  cloud  of 
the  Lord  was  upon  the  Tabernacle  by  day,  and  fire 
was  on  it  by  night,  in  the  sight  of  all  the  house  of 
Israel,  throughout  all  their  journeys"  (36-38). 

It  is  abundantly  plain,  therefore,  that  from  Succoth 
onwards — from  that  first  day's  marching  towards  the 
land  of  the  inheritance  as  redeemed  men — there  was 
a  mighty  change  in  Israel's  experience.  It  was  a. 
change  that   continued,  and    that,  in  the  end,  was 


34  The  Book  of  Exodus. 

perfected  and  made  enduring.  If  we  put  that  new 
and  lasting  experience  into  words,  the  expression 
will  take  this  f)rm — '*The  Redeemed  with  God." 
Moses  and  Aaron  still  hold  their  place  and  discharge 
their  functions.  That  place  is  not  less  honourable, 
and  those  functions  are  not  less  needful ;  but  there 
is  one  thing,  which  beyond  every  other  fills  Israel's 
thought,  and  which  sheds  a  new  glory  upon  Moses 
and  Aaron  and  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  Law.  It 
is  the  presence  of  God.  He  has  brought  out  this 
people  with  a  high  hand  not  merely  that  they  should 
have  their  freedom.  If  that  had  been  all,  they 
would  have  been  left  at  Succoth  to  find  their  own 
way.  No,  their  redemption  is  the  beginning,  and 
not  the  ending,  of  the  story.  God  has  brought  them 
forth  that  they  may  know  Him  as  the  living  God; 
that  they  may  see  His  glory;  that  they  may  learn 
His  ways  ;  and  that  He  may  dwell  among  them. 

Let  us  now  place  those  three  Parts  of  the  Book  in 
their  order. 

(i)  The  Redeemer  of  God's  people  (i. — vi.  12). 

(2)  The  Redemptive  work  (vi.  13 — xii.  39). 

(3)  The  Redeemed  with  God  (xii.  40 — xl.  38). 
It  seems  to  be  impossible  that  any  one  can  look  at 
this  revealed  plan  of  the  Book  and  not  see  something 
more.  Those  three  Sections  tell  the  story  of  Redemp- 
tion !  There  was  first  the  manifestation  and  prepara- 
tion of  the  Redeemer,  ending  with  rejection  and 
apparent  failure ;  then  the  Redemptive  work ;  and, 
last  of  all,  as  the  outcome  and  fruit  of  the  whole, 
the   Redeemed   with   God,   a    separated   people   not 


The  Divisions  and  the  Plan  of  Exodus.     35 

only  serving  God  but  also  glorying  in  His  presence 
and  in  the  assurance  that  they  are  His  and  that  He 
is  theirs.  The  spaces  allotted  to  the  various  Parts  also 
tell  their  tale.  Less  than  twelve  chapters  are  given 
to  both  the  First  and  the  Second;  while  twenty-eight 
chapters^more  than  twice  as  many — are  given  to 
the  Third  Section  that  tells  of  "the  Redeemed  with 
God."  It  is  this  last  experience,  therefore,  to  which 
the  Divine  purpose  presses  forward.  It  was  for  this 
that  Christ  came ;  and  it  was  for  this  that  He  died. 
Without  that  subsequent  walking  and  dwelling  with 
God,  redemption  would  miss  its  mark. 

This  second  Book  of  the  Pentateuch  is,  conse- 
quently, not  a  mere  continuation  of  the  story  of 
Israel  which  was  begun  in  Genesis.  Like  Genesis 
itself,  this  Book  also  presents  us  with  a  completed 
picture.  It  is  a  representation  of  the  Church  in  its 
history  and  its  destiny — a  picture  that  has  spoken  to 
every  age,  and  'that  will  speak  more  fully  yet,  as  the 
time  of  darkness — the  night  of  trouble  begins  to 
fall.  Meanwhile,  the  structure  of  Exodus  settles  one 
question.  No  one  can  note  this  prophetic  plan  and 
retain  a  vestige  of  belief  in  the  higher  criticism.  No 
collection  of  snips  and  snatches  ever  arranged  them- 
selves into  a  story  so  thoroughly  planned,  so  beauti- 
fully proportioned,  and  so  prophetic  as  that.  Nor  was 
it  possible  that  a  body  of  Editors,  working  in  utter 
ignorance  of  the  things  that  were  to  be,  could  have 
fashioned  out  of  documents  and  fragments  this 
superb  unity  glorious  with  its  full  disclosure  of  the 
kingdom  of  God. 


THE    INTRODUCTION   TO    EXODUS 

I.    I — 22. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Israel's    Extremity. 

THE  Bible  is  distinguished  from  all  other  litera- 
ture by  the  wealth  and  the  unobtrusiveness  of 
its  suggestiveness.  There  are  many  books,  both  in 
ancient  and  in  modern  literature,  which  it  is  an 
education  to  read.  They  are  invested  with  an  un- 
fading charm  ;  for  to  the  thinker  and  the  poet  there 
is  stimulus  in  every  page.  But  in  all  these,  pains  are 
taken  to  guide  the  reader's  sight,  so  that  the  views 
which  are  opened  up,  and  the  sidelights  which  throw 
in  their  radiance,  may  not  be  missed.  But  in  this, 
the  most  suggestive  Book  of  all,  no  effort  of  the  kind 
is  made.  "Words  are  chosen,  phrases  are  arranged, 
and  facts  are  related  in  a  certain  order ;  and  all  are 
left  there.  It  is  with  the  Bible  as  it  is  with  the 
earth  which  God  has  also  given  to  the  sons  of  men^ 
Everything  we  require  for  food,  and  drink,  and 
comfort  lies  on  the  surface.  But  the  treasures  are 
hid  beneath  the  surface.  Gold,  and  silver,  and 
brass,  and  iron,  and  the  gems  that  are  found  in  the 
depths  of  earth  and  sea — the  means  of  enrichment, 
and  adornment,  and  world-mastery  are  for  those  who 


Israel's  Extremity.  37 

explore  and  toil.  So  upon  the  Bible's  surface  we 
have  what  we  need  to  know  about  God  and  ourselves, 
about  time  and  eternity,  about  sin  and  salvation. 
All  is  presented  in  the  most  absolute  simplicity,  so 
that  the  wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool,  may  not  err 
as  to  knowledge  of  things  that  are  essential.  Never- 
theless, beneath  that  unrivalled  simplicity  there  lie 
enrichment  and  power  for  all  "whose  delight  is  in 
the  Law  of  the  Lord,"  and  who  in  that  Law  "  medi- 
tate day  and  night  "  (Psalm  i.  i). 

The  subject  of  Exodus  is  to  be  the  deliverance 
from  Egypt.  The  reader  will  accordingly  note  with 
what  precision  the  opening  words  are  selected.  If 
this  is  to  be  the  story  of  Israel's  deliverance  from 
Egypt,  we  want  to  know  how  it  had  happened  that 
Israel  came  into  this  land,  and  what  led  to  the  perse- 
cution which  threatened  the  existence  of  God's 
chosen  people.  It  is  this  information,  and  this 
information  o.nly,  which  is  now  given.  It  is  given 
briefly,  but  with  an  absolute  clearness  that  leaves 
nothing  to  be  desired. 

"And  these  are  the  names  of  the  sons  of 
Israel,  who  went  to  Egypt  with  Jacob;  each 
man  and  his  house  went.  Reuben,  Simeon, 
Levi,  and  Judah,  Issachar,  Zebulun,  and  Ben- 
jamin, Dan,  and  Naphtali,  Gad,  and  Asher.  And 
all  the  souls  which  came  forth  from  the  loins  of 
Jacob  were  seventy  souls :  and  Joseph  was  in 
Egypt"  (verses  1-5). 

We  shall  look  immediately  at  an  alleged  contradic- 
tion in  regard  to  this  number  "  seventy."     Mean- 


38         Exodus — The  Introduction — i.  1-22. 

while,  let  us  note  the  order  in  which  the  sons  of 
Jacob  are  named.  We  have  first  the  six  sons  of 
Leah;  then  the  son  of  Rachel,  Benjamin,  an  ex- 
planation being  given  in  verse  5  as  to  why  Joseph  is 
not  named  here,  where  according  to  order  of  birth 
his  name  should  have  appeared.  He  was  already  in 
Egypt.  Following  these  seven  names  come  those 
of  the  sons  of  the  handmaids  (verse  4). 

Thus  in  words,  which  could  not  be  simpler  or 
fewer,  but  which  are  marked  by  perfect  order,  we  are 
reminded  how  Israel  came  to  be  in  Egypt.  We  are 
now  told  whence  the  trouble  sprang. 

"And  Joseph  died,  and  all  his  brethren,  and 
all  that  generation.  And  the  sons  of  Israel 
were  fruitful,  and  they  swarmed;  and  they 
multiplied ;  and  they  became  strong  exceed- 
ingly;  and  the  land  was  filled  with  them" 
(verses  6,  7). 

The  time  was  approaching  when  Israel's  sojourn- 
ing was  to  end  and  its  national  life  to  begin.  The 
tribe  must,  therefore,  assume  the  proportions  of  a 
people  ;  and  the  rapidity  with  which  this  was  done, 
and  the  enormous  increase  which  challenged  the 
attention  of  all  Egypt,  are  set  forth  in  words  which 
recall  the  astonishment  of  the  time.  The  increase, 
too,  was  not  in  numbers  only.  Israel  was  not  a 
puny,  feeble,  resourceless  race.  They  were  strong, 
vigorous,  and  full  of  well-directed  activity.  This 
aspect  of  national  strength  is  accentuated  in  the 
original    h'meod   meod,    "exceeding    in    exceeding." 


Israel's  Extremity.  39 

Now  this  rapid  and  extraordinary  increase  of  num- 
bers and  strength  would  naturally  either  gratify  or 
alarm  the  Egyptian  authorities  according  to  their 
circumstances.  If  there  was  no  ground  for  anxiety, 
the  added  numbers  and  strength  would  promise 
well  both  for  the  revenue  and  the  stability  of  the 
country ;  but  if  the  Egyptian  monarch  were  appre- 
hensive as  to  the  stability  of  his  power,  the  increase 
of  the  Israelites  might  be  regarded  as  full  of  menace. 
That  this  was  the  light  in  which  the  Hebrew 
sojourners  were  regarded  is  now  shown. 

"And  a  new  king  arose  over  Egypt,  who  knew 

not  Joseph.     And  he  said  to  his  people.  Behold, 

the  people  of  the  children  of   Israel  are  more 

numerous  and  more  mighty  than  we.     Come, 

let  us  deal  wisely  with  them,  lest  they  multiply, 

and  it  happen  when  war  breaks  out,  that  this 

people  also  will  be  added  to  our  enemies,  and 

fight  against  us,  and  go  up  out  of  the  land" 

(verses  8-10). 

Those  words,  evidently  selected  with  intention  and 

care — "a  new  king,"    "arose   over    Egypt,"  "who 

knew  not  Joseph  " — indicated  to  students  long  ago 

some  great,  but  then  unknown,  crisis  through  which 

ancient  Egypt  had  just  passed.  Where,  for  example, 

had  this  king  been  who  knew  nothing  of  the  services 

of  the  man  who  had  saved  the  Egyptian  people  from 

famine  and  death,  who  had  placed  the  land  tenure  on 

an  entirely  new  basis,  and  who  had  given  the  country 

abiding  peace  ?    Services  like  these  are  not  forgotten 

in  a  century,  even  in  eventful  times  like  our  own,  and 


-40         Exodus — The  Introduction — i.  1-22. 

the  memory  of  them  must  assuredly  have  lived  on  in 
an  eastern  land  like  Egypt.  But  the  light  shed  by 
the  decipherment  of  the  Egyptian  inscriptions  has 
now  enabled  us  to  appreciate  the  marvellous  exacti- 
tude of  these  expressions.  The  Egyptian  Viceroy 
of  Thebes,  a  descendant  of  the  old  Pharaohs,  had 
risen  in  revolt  against  the  dynasty  of  the  Shepherd 
kings  whom  Joseph  had  served,  and  had  swept  the 
Hyksos,  or  Shepherd  race,  out  of  Egypt.  He  was 
a  new  king;  he  came  from  a  distance ;.  he  "arose 
over  Egypt "  as  his  army  fought  its  triumphant  way 
from  south  to  north.  The  reader  will  observe,  too,  the 
words,  "  his  people  "  (ver.  9) ;  that  is,  not  the  Egyp- 
tians of  the  north,  but  the  southern  army  which  had 
placed  him  on  the  throne.  This  enables  us  to  under- 
stand this  statement,  and  the  fear  which  lay  behind 
it :  "  Behold,  the  people  of  the  children  of  Israel 
are  more  and  mightier  than  we."  The  Israelites 
were  not  stronger  nor  more  numerous  than  the  resi- 
dent population ;  but  their  two  or  three  millions 
certainly  outnumbered  the  invading  army. 

We  are  now  told  of  the  plans  that  were  successively 
adopted  to  lessen  the  supposed  danger.  It  was 
imagined  that  oppression  would  diminish  them  ;  and 
so  Israel  was  practically  enslaved.  They  set  task- 
masters over  them  (sare  missim)  "  to  afflict  them  with 
burdens.  And  they  built  for  Pharaoh  treasure-cities, 
Pithom  and  Raamses  "  (verse  11).  That  plan  failed; 
for  "  the  more  they  afflicted  them  the  more  they 
multiplied  and  grew  "  (verse  12).  Pharaoh's  anxiety, 
and  that  of  his  people,  deepened,     Israel  became  an 


The  Critic  and  the  Archaeologist.  41 

increasing  burden  and  dread  to  them.  It  was  quite 
natural,  therefore,  for  them  to  conclude  that  they 
had  not  been  rigorous  enough  with  Israel ;  and  so 
they  resolved  to  cast  pity  to  the  winds.  "And  they 
made  their  lives  bitter  with  hard  bondage."  But 
the  burdens  are  increased  in  vain,  and  the  king 
descends  from  pitiless  oppression  to  more  manifest 
crime.  The  midwives  are  commanded  to  murder 
the  male  children  as  they  are  born.  "  But  the  mid- 
wives  feared  God,"  and  this  plan  failed  as  completely 
as  the  others. 

*'And  God  did  good  to  the  midwives:  and  the 
people  multiplied,  and  grew  strong  exceed- 
ingly "  (verse  20). 

The  chapter  concludes  with  the  edict  of  the  baffled 
king,  which  enjoined  "  all  his  people  " — and  there 
were  doubtless  many  ruthless  hands  among  those 
invaders,  who  would  naturally  also  form  the  police 
of  the  country,  "  Saying,  Every  son  that  is  born  ye 
shall  cast  into  the  waters,  and  every  daughter  ye  shall 
save  alive  "  (verse  22). 


CHAPTER  II. 
The  Critic  and  the  Arch^ologist. 

ONE  of  the  big  discrepancies  of  the  Bible  is 
supposed  to  be  furnished,  in  part  at  least,  by 
the  statement  in  verse  5  as  to  the  number  of  the 
Israelites  at  their  settlement  in  Egypt.    Exodus  i.  5, 


42         Exodus — The  Introduction — i.  1-22. 

which  is  a  re-statement  of  what  we  find  in  Genesis 
xlvi.  27,  is  said  to  be  in  conflict  with  what  is  alleged 
by  Stephen  in  Acts  vii.  14,  and  also  with  Gen.  xlvi.  26. 
Let  us  place  the  three  passages  in  parallel  columns : 

Gen.  xlvi.  26.                  Gen.  xlvi.  27.  Acts  vii.  14. 

"All  the  souls  that         "And   the  sons  of  "Then  sent  Joseph 

came  with  Jacob  into  Joseph,    which    were  and  called  his  father 

Egypt,    which    came  born   him    in   Egypt,  to  him,  and  all    his 

out  of  his  loins,  be-  were   two   souls:    all  kindred,     threescore 

sides    Jacob's   sons'  the  souls  of  the  house  and  fifteen  souls." 

wives,   all    the    souls  of  Jacob,  which  came 

were   threescore  and  into    Egypt,    were 

six."  threescore  and  ten." 

It  seems  incredible  that  anyone  could  imagine  the 
two  first  passages  to  be  inconsistent  with  each  other. 
The  terms  are  precise,  and  are  plainly  chosen  to 
prevent  misapprehension.  In  Genesis  xlvi.,  verse  26 
speaks  of  "  the  souls  that  came  with  Jacob  into 
Egypt,"  and  these  are  given  as  sixty-six.  That  is, 
sixty-six  children  and  grandchildren  accompanied 
him.  Let  it  be  noted  these  came  "with  Jacob,"  so 
that  neither  is  Jacob  himself  included  in  the  number 
sixty-six,  nor  Joseph  and  his  sons.  When  these 
four  are  added  we  have  the  seventy  of  verse  27. 
Note  again  the  careful  exactitude  of  the  Scripture 
statement  here  ;  "  all  the  souls  of  the  house  of  Jacob, 
which  came  into  Egypt,  were  threescore  and  ten." 
Sixty-six  came  down  with  Jacob  ;  but  "  all  the  souls  of 
the  house  of  Jacob  "  were  seventy. 

The  statement  in  Acts  does  present  a  difficulty  in 
its  mention  of  seventy-five ;  but  no  man  who  pre- 
sumes to  judge  the  Scripture  should  have  omitted  to 
study  the  words  on  which  he  pronounces  condemna- 


The  Critic  and  the  Archaeologist  43 

tion.  These  not  only  explain  everything,  but  also 
give  us  additional  information.  There  seems  to 
have  been  a  Jewish  tradition  which  coupled  the 
number  seventy-five  with  the  settlers  in  Egypt.  The 
Septuagint  substitutes  that  number  for  the  seventy 
in  Genesis  xlvi.  27.  But  the  Greek  translator  felt  it 
to  be  incumbent  upon  him  to  explain  how  this 
number  was  reached.  Instead,  therefore,  of  a  trans- 
lation of  the  Hebrew,  he  substituted  the  following 
for  verse  27:  "And  the  sons  of  Joseph,  who  were 
born  to  him  in  Egypt,  were  nine  souls.  All  the  souls 
of  the  house  of  Jacob,  who  entered  with  Jacob  into 
Egypt,  were  seventy-five  souls."  He  forgot  that 
Joseph  was  not  included  in  the  sixty-six.  Had  he 
observed  that,  he  would  have  been  saved  the  inven- 
tion of  a  ninth  son  for  Joseph.  Eight  would  have 
sufficed,  as  these,  with  the  addition  of  Joseph  him- 
self, would  have  brought  up  the  sixty-six  of  Scripture 
to  the  seventy-five  of  the  tradition. 

But  when  we  turn  to  Acts  we  find  another  illustra- 
tion of  the  exactitude  of  Scriptural  phraseology,  and 
an  explanation  of  the  traditional  seventy-five,  which 
is  perfectly  satisfactory.  Will  the  reader  kindly 
note  Stephen's  words — "Then  sent  Joseph  and  called 
his  father  Jacob  to  him,  and  all' his  kindred,  three- 
score and  fifteen  souls"?  Here  the  Scripture  in- 
cludes not  only  the  offspring  of  Jacob,  but  also 
"all  his  kindred."  We  are  told  in  Gen.  xlvi.  5 
that  "Jacob  rose  up  from  Beersheba:  and  the  sons 
of  Israel  carried  Jacob  their  father,  and  their  little 
ones,  and  their  wives,  in  the  wagons  v/hich  Pharaoh 


44         Ejcodus — The  Introduction — i.  1-22. 

had  sent  to  carry  him."  Then  verse  26  notes  that 
"Jacob's  sons' wives"  are  excluded  from  the  number 
"sixty-six."  But  these  belonged  to  Jacob's  "kin- 
dred," whose  number  made  up  the  traditional 
seventy-five.  This  enumeration,  let  it  be  remarked, 
applies  apparently  to  "  all  his  kindred  "  that  went 
down  with  Jacob  to  Egypt,  and  does  not  include 
either  Joseph  and  his  sons  or  Jacob  himself.  Now, 
how  many  of  "  his  sons'  wives  "  were  there  ?  Judah's 
wife  was  dead  (Genesis  xxxviii.  12).  We  dso  learn 
that  Simeon's  youngest  son  was  "  Shaul,  the  son  of 
a  Canaanitish  woman "  (Genesis  xlvi.  10),  which 
seems  to  imply  that  Simeon's  wife  was  also  dead. 
This  reduces  the  wives  of  the  eleven  sons  to  nine, 
which,  added  to  the  sixty-six  children,  make  exactly 
the  seventy-five  mentioned  by  Stephen.  In  any 
case,  there  is  no  contradiction  and  no  discrepancy. 
The  three  passages  show,  by  the  most  careful  selec- 
tion of  words,  that  they  are  dealing,  not  with  the 
same  thing,  but  with  different  things.  And  no  one, 
accustomed  to  the  reading  of  documents,  could  ever 
have  imagined  the  passages  to  be,  and  still  less  have 
represented  them  to  be,  in  antagonism  to  each 
other. 

No  person  of  ordinary  discernment  ever  had  any 
doubt  as  to  the  essential  character  of  the  higher 
criticism.  It  began  in  unbelief,  and  it  ends  in 
unbelief.  The  fruit  is  distinguished  from  the  seed, 
not  in  kind,  but  merely  in  abundance.  An  illustra- 
tion of  this  is  found  in  Baentsch's  remarks  on  "The 
hi^t^vical  value  ot   tne  traditions  contained  in  the 


The  Critic  and  the  Archaeologist.  45 

books  of  Exodus  and  Numbers."*  He  attributes 
them  to  "  the  two  great  circles  of  tradition."  From 
the  earlier  traditions,  as  to  the  Exodus  and  the  giving 
of  the  Law,  others  sprang,  which  may  be  described 
as  etymological  sagas.  That  is,  a  history  "  is  spun 
out "  of  the  names  of  places,  and  "  almost  always," 
he  says,  "  according  to  the  same  recipe.  The  people 
murmur,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  want  of  water, 
once  on  account  of  the  want  of  food,  and  once  on 
the  general  ground  that  things  are  going  badly. 
Then  follows,  according  to  the  rule,  a  reprimand 
through  Moses,  and,  last  of  all,  an  intervention  of 
Jehovah,  it  may  be  for  their  help,  it  may  be  for 
their  chastisement,  or  for  both  together."  That  is 
an  estimate  of  "the  historical  value"  of  the  con- 
tents of  Exodus  and  Numbers  which  the  higher 
criticism  in  this  country  was  very  careful  not  to  give 
at  the  commencement ;  but  when  it  is  given,  as  is 
now  quite  freely  done,  it  is  indistinguishable  from 
open  and,  indeed,  scurrilous  infidelity.  And  it  is 
foolish,  as  well  as  scurrilous.  Why  should  there  not 
be  regularity  in  the  Divine  action?  Would  the 
narratives  have  been  more  credible  had  the  Divine 
procedure  been  in  accordance  with  no  discernible 
law  ?  Or  do  the  critics  believe  that  it  was  impossible 
for  God  so  to  deal  with  Israel ;  and  do  they  scout 
I  lie  notion  of  any  Divine  government  of  the  world? 
That  this  confident  repudiation  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment history  rests,  not  upon  proof,  but  upon  foregone 
conclusions,  is  shown  by  the   desperate   efforts  to 

*  Han.-lkommtniar,  S.  livi.,  Ixvij. 


46  Ejcodus — The  Introduction — 1.1-22. 

make  out  a  case  in  the  critical  remarks  upon  this 
first  chapter  of  Exodus.  To  the  ordinary  Bible 
student  nothing  can  constitute  a  more  evident  and 
unchallengeable  unity  than  the  first  chapter  of 
Exodus,  with  which  we  are  now  dealing.  This  is 
admitted  in  a  way  by  Baentsch.  He  believes,  with 
Wellhausen,  that  there  is  a  literary  connection 
between  the  first  five  verses  and  Genesis  xlvi.  8-27. 
That  is  a  statement  m  which  we  cordially  concur, 
seeing  that  we  believe  both  passages  to 'have  pro- 
ceeded from  the  pen  of  Moses.  He  then  continues: 
"The  remainder  of  the  chapter  makes  the  impres- 
sion of  a  narrative  that  is  a  unity,  only  in  verse  20 
the  hand  of  the  editor  makes  itself  visible."*  But 
Holzinger  breaks  up  this  confessed  unity  without 
scruple  or  hesitation.  He  asserts  that  in  verses  8-14, 
verses  13,  14  are  a  "doublet"  to  verse  11.  The 
"doublet"  is,  of  course,  a  supposed  repetition — a 
second  account  taken  from  another  source,  and 
which  shows  itself  to  bt  a  second  account  by  its 
repetition  of  the  sam.e  things.  That  we  may  give  due 
effect  to  this  critical  "discovery,"  let  us  place  the 
alleged  repetition  fully  before  us : 

Veksh'  11.  Versks  13,  14. 

"  Therefore  they  did  set  over  "  Ana  cfae  Egj'ptians  made  the 

them     taskmasters     to     afiflict       chilJ.-eii  of  Israel  to  serve  with 

them  with  their  burdens.     And       /sgour.     And    they    made    their 

they  biiit  for  Pharaoh  treasure       livcS  bitter  with  hard  bondage  in 

cities,  Pithom  and  Raamses."  morter,    and    brick,    and    in    all 

manner  of  service  in  the  field: 

all    their   service,  wherein    they 

made     them     serve,    was     with 

rigour." 


The  Critic  and  the  Archaeologist.  47 

Verse  12  is  conveniently  dropped  out  of  sight ;  but 
taking  what  is  set  before  us  above,  it  is  a  hard  matter 
to  discover  Holzinger's  "  doublet."  For  instance,  we 
find  in  verse  11  a  special  piece  of  information  which 
is  entirely  absent  from  verses  13  and  14.  The  former 
tells  us  of  the  appointment  of  the  taskmasters,  about 
which  nothing  whatever  is  said  in  the  latter  passage. 
If  we  now  take  the  second  half  of  verse  11  we  shall 
search  verses  13  and  14  with  an  exactly  similar 
result.  The  former  tells  us  of  the  building  of  the 
store-cities ;  but  of  the  erection  of  these,  verses  13 
and  14  say  never  a  word.  Where,  then,  is  the  repe- 
tition ?  The  first  passage  mentions  two  things,  and 
two  things  only,  neither  of  which  is  even  distantly 
referred  to  in  the  second  ;  and,  nevertheless,  the  critic 
assures  us  that  the  second  passage  is  a  repetition  of 
the  first !  When  we  turn  to  inspect  the  second 
passage,  we  discover  equal  independence  there.  It 
has  its  own  special  message.  This  speaks  less  of  the 
service  than  of  the  manner  of  it.  The  Israelites  are 
now  not  enslaved  merely ;  they  are  mercilessly 
driven.  That  feature  is  emphasised  three  times 
and  in  three  forms.  First,  it  is  stated  that  "the 
Egyptians  made  the  children  of  Israel  to  serve  with 
rigour."  This  is  repeated  in-  verse  14 :  "All  their 
service,  wherein  they  made  them  serve,  was  with 
rigour."  Secondly,  we  read  that  "they  made  their 
Hves  bitter  with  hard  bondage  ";  and  thirdly,  we  are 
told  of  the  industrious  ingenuity  with  which  all  sorts 
of  laborious  and  degrading  toil  were  arranged  for  the 
Israelites :  "  They  made  their  Hves  bitter  with  hard 


4&         exodus — I  he  Introduction — i.    \-ll. 

bondage,  in  morter,  and  in  brick,  and  in  all  manner 
of  service  in  the  field."  Here  it  is  not  the  origination 
of  the  slavery  that  is  described,  but  rather  an 
advanced  stage  of  it.  What  is  now  aimed  at  is 
evidently  not  the  labours  of  the  people,  but  their 
annihilation.  That  is  the  one  and  distinct  message 
of  those  latter  verses.  They  repeat  nothing  that  has 
gone  before.  They  tell  only  of  an  accentuation  of 
the  miseries  of  God's  people ;  and  when  we  insert 
verse  12,  the  meaning  and  the  perfect  unity  of  the 
section  flash  upon  every  mind  :  "  But  the  more  they 
afflicted  them,  the  more  they  multiplied  and  grew- 
And  they  were  grieved  because  of  the  children  of 
Israel."  Mere  slavery  had  failed.  The  dreaded 
increase  of  the  Israelites  was  not  arrested.  Hence 
more  rigorous  measures  were  adopted  with  the  stern 
determination  of  the  Egyptian  people  and  of  a  ruth- 
less time.  Verse  12  makes  verse  11  and  verses  13 
and  14  equally  necessary.  Verse  11  is  the  beginning 
of  a  story,  and  verses  13  and  14  are  its  continuation. 
Another  contribution  to  this  intense  "  criticism  " 
is  repeated  by  Holzinger.  He  says  that  verse  15 
(which  speaks  of  the  two  midwives  Shiphrah  and 
Puah)  is  not  in  accordance  with  verse  9,  which  repre- 
sents Pharaoh  as  saying  that  the  children  of  Israel 
are  more  numerous  and  powerful  than  his  own 
people ;  for  how  could  two  midwives  have  sufficed 
for  so  large  a  district  ?  But  the  representation  of 
the  text  is  much  more  in  keeping  with  the  time  than 
the  critical  comment.  All  labour  in  ancient  Egypt 
was  thoroughly  organised,  and  responsible  authorities 


The  Critic  and  the  Archaeologist.  49 

were  placed  at  the  head  of  every  department.  This 
fact,  which  is  indicated  in  verse  11,  is  not  quite  so 
clearly  set  forth  in  our  Version  as  might  be  wished. 
Pharaoh  set  over  the  Israelites  not  "taskmasters," 
but  literally,  *' Princes  of  the  tribute,"  or  "labours." 
These  were  the  great  officials  responsible  to  the  king, 
and  who  were  in  direct  contact  with  him  in  regard  to 
that  matter.  When  we  read,  therefore,  of  two  mid- 
wives  in  verse  15,  what,  in  view  of  the  fact  recorded 
in  verse  11.  are  we  to  conclude  ?  Shall  we  rush  with 
Holzinger  to  the  deduction  that  these  two  women 
were  alone  engaged  in  this  employment,  and  that, 
secondly,  if  two  sufficed,  then  the  numbers  of  the 
Israelites  must  have  been  much  fewer  than  they  are 
represented  to  have  been  in  the  preceding  part  of  the 
chapter?  Or  shall  we  say  that  these  are  plainly 
important  personages  who  are  the  presidents  of  this 
department,  and  through  whom  the  king  transmits 
his  orders  to  their  subordinates  ?  This  latter  inter- 
pretation is  quite  in  keeping  with  the  great  country 
which  Egypt  was  in  the  i6th  century  B.C. ;  but  the 
critical  interpretation  represents  Pharaoh  as  the 
headman  of  a  big  village,  or  the  Mayor  of  some 
tenth-rate  town. 

We  meet  here,  however,  in  the  very  beginning  of 
Exodus,  proofs  that  have  deeply  impressed  genuine 
science,  and  that  have  long  since  foreshadowed  the 
doom  of  the  higher  criticism.  Egyptologists  know 
that  this  Book  is  not  a  late  Jewish  romance,  for  they 
recognise  in  the  Biblical  narrative  the  place,  the 
time,  the  manners  and  customs  with  which   their 


50         Exodus — The  Introduction — i.  1-22. 

discoveries  have  made  them  familiar.  The  Book 
Hves  and  breathes  in,  and  is  in  constant  contact  with, 
the  ancient  Egypt  which  their  discoveries  have 
brought  back  from  the  tomb.  We  take,  for  example, 
the  name  "Pharaoh."  That,  and  no  other  title,  is 
used  for  the  Egyptian  king  in  this  Book  and  else- 
where in  the  writings  of  Moses.  Later  we  have 
individual  names  substituted  or  added  by  which  the 
special  king  referred  to  is  particularised.  Thus  in 
I  Kings  xiv.  25  we  read  that  "Shishak  king  6f  Egypt" 
came  up  against  Jerusalem.  This  was  about  the 
middle  of  the  tenth  century  B.C.  So  also  in  2  Kings 
xxiii.  29  :  "  In  his  (Josiah's)  days  " — about  three  and 
a-half  centuries  later — "  Pharaoh-Necho  king  of 
Egypt  went  up  against  the  king  of  Assyria  to  the 
river  Euphrates";  while  again  in  Jeremiah  xliv.  30 
we  find  another  instance  of  the  changed  use :  "Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  Behold  I  will  give  Pharaoh-Hophra 
king  of  Egypt  into  the  hand  of  his  enemies,  and  into 
the  hand  of  them  that  seek  his  life."  Now  all  this  is 
in  marvellous  agreement  with  facts  which  have  only 
recently  come  to  light.  The  title  "Pharaoh"  was 
first  of  all  said  not  to  occur  upon  the  Egyptian 
monuments,  and  the  constant  use  of  the  name  in 
Scripture  seemed  difficult  to  explain.  The  use  of  the 
individual  monarch's  name  seems  to  have  wholly 
displaced  the  older  designation,  and  it  was  utterly 
unknown,  apparently,  to  the  Greek  travellers  and 
historians  who  have  written  on  Egyptian  affairs. 
This  was  accordingly  added  to  the  number  of  Bible 
"  mistakes."     But,  as  usual,  fuller  research  has  justi- 


The  Critic  and   the  Archaeologist.  51 

fied  the  Scripture.  De  Rough  was  able  to  determina 
the  pronunciation  of  a  hieroglyph  which  always 
accompanied  the  king's  name  upon  the  monuments. 
This  was  the  long-forgotten  Perao  or  Pherao,  the 
Pharaoh  of  the  Bible !  It  was  afterwards  discovered 
upon  a  monument  in  which  Sargon,  king  of  Assyria 
and  father  of  Sennacherib,  speaks  of  Pir'u  sar  mati 
Musri,  "  Pher'o  king  of  the  land  of  Egypt."  *  But 
another  discovery  indicates  that  this  title  of  the 
Egyptian  king  has  an  important  bearing  upon  the 
question  of  the  authenticity  of  the  Pentateuch.  The 
use  of  the  term  to  designate  the  Egyptian  king  is 
said  to  be  a  characteristic  of  the  i8th  dynasty.  To  the 
time  of  that  dynasty  Moses  belonged.  It  was  in  the 
palace  of  its  early  kings  that  he  had  found  his  home, 
and  had  received  his  training  "  in  all  the  wisdom 
of  the  Egyptians."  It  was,  in  the  first  instance,  for 
Israelites  who  had  grown  up  in  the  closest  contact 
with  the  E^ypt  of  that  period,  that  the  Pentateuch 
was  written;  and  here,  just  as  would  be  expected, 
the  Egyptian  king  is  always  referred  to  by  the  title 
in  daily  use  at  this  very  time.  But,  if  the  critics  are 
right  in  their  assured  conviction  that  the  Penta- 
teuchal  history  is  a  late  production,  then  they  have 
to  explain  the  use  of  this  name  by  the  writer  or 
writers.  The  date  to  which  they  have  assigned  the 
history  of  the  Pentateuch  is  even  later  than  that  at 
which  Herodotus  entered  Egypt ;  but  at  that  time  all 
trace  of  this  title  seems  to  have  passed  away.  He 
'S  no  record  of  it.    He  makes  no  reference  whatever 

*Sce  N*m  Biblical  GuitU,  vol.  ii,,  p.  ii8. 


52         Ejcodus — The  Introduction — i.  1-22. 

to  it.  If,  therefore,  this  history  had  been  written  when 
criticism  beheves  it  was,  the  ancient  appellation  of 
the  Egyptian  monarchs  must  have  been  equally 
unknown  to  the  writer  or  writers,  and  his  or  their 
silence  regarding  it  would  have  been  as  profound  as 
that  of  the  Grecian  historian.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
when  we  find  the  title  of  the  i8th  dynasty  in  constant 
use  in  a  Book  which  is  said  to  have  been  written 
during  the  time  of  that  very  dynasty,  it  will  be 
admitted  that  we  have  in  that  fact  no  insignificant 
testimony  in  favour  of  the  earlier  date,  and  of  the 
historical  character  of  the  Pentateuch. 

Whatever  weight  may  be  assigned  to  the  fore- 
going, the  Egyptian  king's  title  is  only  one  of  many 
facts  which  link  the  Pentateuch  with  Egypt.  We 
have  in  this  first  chapter  of  Exodus,  for  example, 
three  other  expressions  which  tell  a  similar  tale. 
The  two  words  which  are  translated  "  taskmasters  " 
in  verse  ii  are  Sure  Massim.  Attempts  have  been 
made  to  explain  these  as  Hebrew  words  without  the 
slightest  success.  Sure  is,  indeed,  found  in  Hebrew, 
where  it  means  princes;  but  Mas,  or  its  plural  Massim, 
no  one  has  been  able  to  discover,  or  to  explain,  as 
Hebrew  words.  The  ancient  Egyptian,  on  the  other 
hand,  sheds  light  at  once  upon  the  words  and  upon 
their  use  in  the  connection  in  which  the  Scripture 
places  them.  Mas  means  to  bring  tribute,  while  Sar 
is  the  title  applied  to  the  noble  who  was  set  over  any 
department  of  the  public  works.  In  the  Egyptian 
monuments,  containing  representations  of  brick- 
making  in  this  very  eighteenth  dynasty,  Sar  is  the 


The  Critic  and  the  Archaeologist.  53 

title  given  to  the  head  of  that  department ;  and  the 
Sare-massim,  "chiefs  of  the  tribute-labours,"  were 
plainly  the  nobles  to  whom  was  committed  the  over- 
sight of  this  new  department  of  the  public  service. 

Shiphrah  and  Puah,  the  names  of  the  midwives, 
yield  no  appropriate  sense  when  treated  as  Hebrew 
words ;  but,  taken  as  Egyptian  words,  they  are  at 
once  intelligible.  The  presence  of  such  words  are  a 
special  characteristic  of  the  Pentateuch.  We  meet 
them,  for  example,  in  Genesis,  as  in  the  title  con- 
ferred upon  Joseph,  and  of  which  no  explanation  is 
given.  This  means  that  for  the  people  to  whom 
these  Books  were  committed,  and  for  whose  use 
they  were  first  of  all  written,  no  explanation  of  such 
Egyptian  words  was  needed.  The  only  possible  inter- 
pretation of  that  fact  is  that  the  Books  were  origin- 
ally written'  for  people  who  had  been  in  Egypt,  and  to 
whom  such  words,  titles,  and  names  were  so  familiar 
that  no  explanation  was  necessary.  This  fixes  the 
composition  of  the  Pentateuch  to  the'  time  of  the 
Exodus.* 

*  See  for  further  facts  Ntw  Biblical  Guide,  vols.  ii.  aad  iii. 


THE   FIRST   PART   OF    EXODUS 

(II.    I— VI.  12). 


CHAPTER   I. 
The  Birth  and  Earlier  Career  of  Moses 

(II.  1—22). 

THE  manner  in  which  this  part  of  the  history 
begins  is  suggestive : 

"  And  there  went  a  man  of  the  house  of  Levi, 
and  married  a  daughter  of  Levi.  And  the 
woman  conceived,  and  bare  a  son  :  and  she 
saw  that  he  was  a  goodly  child,  and  she  hid 
him  three  months." 

There  is  much  in  the  very  form  in  which  this  is  told 
us.  Neither  the  father  nor  the  mother  of  Moses 
were  otherwise  noteworthy  in  Israel  than  by  their 
connection  with  him.  This  was  not  one  of  the 
princely  homes  to  which  Israel  would  naturally  turn 
in  their  expectation  of  a  deliverer.  That  was  true 
also  of  the  stable  at  Bethlehem  and  of  the  home  at 
Nazareth,  of  Joseph  the  carpenter,  and  of  the 
daughter  of  that  other  branch  of  the  decayed  house 
of  David.  And  it  has  been  so  all  down  ihe  world's 
history.  Those  to  whom  the  world  has  owed  most 
have  sprung  from  the  unknown.  It  is  God's  cheer 
to  the  poor  and  the  lonely.     It  is  His  rebuke,  too, 


The  Birth  and  Earlier  Career  of  Moses.     55 

to  the  world's  pride,  and  lordly  disdain  of  the  lowly. 
"For  ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,  how  that  not 
many  wise  men,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble, 
are  called"  (i  Corinthians  i.  26).  But  there  is  also 
another  lesson.  These  things  which  are  now  told  us 
are  apparently  among  the  most  ordinary  events  of 
the  time.  They  are  the  common-place  things  of  the 
day.  Not  a  hint  is  dropped  of  any  Divine  arrange- 
ment, or  of  any  special  guiding  of  Gcd;  and  yet  that 
is,  nevertheless,  the  commencement  of  the  mightiest 
story  of  antiquity.  God  is  in  the  usual  and  thft 
common-place,  as  well  as  in  the  extraordinary.  His 
hand  touches  everything ;  and  every  place  whereon 
we  tread  is  holy  ground. 

Apparently  Moses  is  born  soon  after  the  issuing  of 
the  Royal  decree  commanding  the  slaughter  of  the 
male  children.  Aaron,  Moses'  senior  by  three  years 
only,  has  plainly  been  exposed  to  no  such  danger. 
In  spite,  however,  of  the  king's  commandment,  the 
mother  tries  to  save  her  child.  But  either  the  child's 
increasing  strength,  or  some  other  circumstance, 
renders  further  concealment  impossible ;  and  once 
more,  in  what  seems  to  be  merely  the  ingenious  con- 
trivance of  maternal  solicitude,  we  see  again  the 
finger  of  God.  The  ark,  made  of  papyrus,  and  pro- 
tected against  the  water  by  a  coating  of  pitch 
without  and  within,  is  placed  among  the  reeds  which 
then  grew  luxuriously  upon  the  river's  banks,  and  is 
thus  saved  from  being  carried  away  by  the  stream. 
There  it  attracts  the  notice  of  Pharaoh's  daughter, 
who  goes  down  to  bathe  in  the  sacred  waters.     The 


56  Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  1-22. 

child  is  sheltered  in  Pharaoh's  palace ;  and  the  very 
power,  which  threatened  to  destroy  this  hope  of 
Israel,  becomes  the  servant  of  it,  and  prepares  Moses 
for  the  accomplishment  of  his  mighty  mission. 

The  next  great  incident  in  his  career  also  takes 
place  in  what  we  may  describe  as  a  quite  ordinary 
fashion.  It  would  be  well  were  this  fact  noted  by 
those  who  imagine  that  the  Scripture  moves  per- 
petually in  an  atmosphere  of  miracle.  Moses  is 
called  forth  from  the  midst  of  Egyptian  greatness 
and  luxury  by  no  Divinely-sent  vision.  He  receives 
no  audible  command  from  God.  What  happens  is 
apparently  on  a  level  with  those  determinations 
which  men  are  making  daily.  He  has  awakened 
from  the  dreams  in  which  his  life  has  hitherto  been 
passed.  With  open  eyes  he  looks  upon  that  luxurious, 
self-pleasing, life;  and  he  sees  in  it  simply  the  mockery 
of  his  heart's  cry.  He  remembers  his  enslaved 
brethren  and  their  hope,  and  he  makes  his  great 
life-choice.  He  goes  forth,  refusing  to  be  called  any 
longer  the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter,  and  takes  his 
place  among  the  Israelites  as  one  of  themselves. 
But  there  he  witnesses  scenes  which  make  him  no 
longer  master  of  himself.  He  sees  an  Egyptian 
smiting  an  Hebrew,  "  and  he  looked  this  way  and 
that,  and  when  he  saw  there  was  no  man,  he  slew 
the  Egyptian,  and  hid  him  in  the  sand"  (ii.  12). 
Expostulation  would  have  been  useless  even  from 
him ;  and  so,  when  he  saw  there  was  no  one  near  to 
report  the  deed,  he  slew  the  Egyptian.  It  was  an 
act  which    no   one   can   defend :    but   it   shows   the 


The  Birth  and  Earlier  Career  of  Moses.     57 

bitterness  of  Israel's  case  when  no  other  remedy  lay 
within  the  power  of  an  earthly  helper. 

Israel,  however,  was  not  to  be  delivered  by  insur- 
rection, or  by  a  system  of  assassination.  On  the 
second  day  Moses'  burden  is  exchanged  for  despair. 
He  is  rejected  by  his  people.  He  finds  two  Hebrews 
in  conflict,  and,  while  expostulating  with  the  ag- 
gressor, he  has  his  intervention  scornfully  repelled. 
"  Who  made  thee  a  prince  and  a  judge  over  us  ? 
Intendest  thou  to  kill  me  as  thou  killedst  the 
Egyptian  ?"  It  was  one  of  those  moments  when 
the  veil  is  lifted,  and  when  a  man  stands  face  to  face 
with  a  hideous  disclosure  of  his  incapacity.  What 
shadow  of  a  right  had  he  to  intervene,  and  how 
could  redemption  come  from  one  with  such  a  stain 
upon  his  soul  ?  And  there  was  still  deeper  degrada- 
tion for  him.  When  that  thought  of  redeeming 
Israel  lay  trampled  in  the  dust,  this  heroic  soul  was 
shaken  with  alarm.  He  feared  for  his  life,  who  but 
yesterday  would  have  joyfully  sacrificed  a  thousand 
lives  had  he  possessed  them.  What  was  a  matter  of 
common  knowledge  among  the  Israelites  could  not 
be  concealed  from  the  Egyptians ;  and  what  of  the 
royal  anger  when  the  deed  was  told  in  the  palace  ? 

Moses'  premonition  of  coming  evil  was  fully  justi- 
fied. The  officers  of  justice  are  in  search  of  him, 
and  he  has  to  flee.  He  escapes  to  the  desert  of 
Sinai,  and  passes  to  Midian  on  the  shore  of  the 
Gulf  of  Akaba.  There  a  deed,  which  revealed  the 
princely  spirit  of  the  man  who  had  dreamed  of 
delivering  Isr-   *,  gains  him  a  home  and  a  place  in 


58  Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  1-22. 

the  family  of  the  high-priest  of  Midian.  He  is  sitting 
beside  a  well,  with  the  intention  probably  of  spending 
the  night  there.  Flocks  approach  at  the  evening 
hour,  led  by  a  number  of  young  women.  They  fill 
the  drinking  troughs ;  but,  meanwhile,  other  flocks 
have  come,  and  the  shepherds  drive  away  the  girls 
and  their  sheep  and  appropriate  the  filled  water- 
trpughs.  Moses'  spirit  is  roused.  He  scatters  the 
men,  single-handed  though  he  is,  and  sees  that  the 
girls'  flocks  are  watered  before  the  shepherds  are 
suffered  again  to  approach.  The  shepherds'  appro- 
priation of  the  well  seems  to  have  been  habitual ; 
for  on  this  occasion  Reuel  is  surprised  by  his 
daughters'  early  return.  He  asks  an  explanation, 
and  then  one  generous  spirit  hails  another.  He  bids 
them  haste  and  entreat  the  stranger  to  share  their 
hospitality;  and  in  that  home,  opened  to  him  thus 
in  the  silent  and  unobtrusive  Providence  of  God, 
Moses  find  a  resting-place  for  the  next  forty  years 
of  his  hfe.  He  marries  Zipporah,  Reuel's  daughter, 
and  names  his  first-born  son  Ger-shom,  a  name 
formed  of  two  Egyptian  words,  meaning  "  a  sojourner 
in  a  strange  land."  It  told  of  the  burden  of  a  broken 
heart.  He  had  seen  before  him  a  glorious  mission ; 
and  now  it  seemed  as  if  his  opportunity  had  gone  for 
ever. 


Criticisms  and   Difficulties.  59 


CHAPTER   II. 
Criticisms  and  Difficulties. 

CRITICS  continue  to  tell  us  that  they  believe  in 
the  inspiration  of  Scripture.  On  the  most 
solemn  occasions  they  have  not  hesitated  to  adopt 
our  own  language,  and  to  declare  that  they  accept 
the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God,  until  at  such  times 
we  are  almost  ready  to  ask  whether  this  huge  and 
sad  controversy  is  not  based  upon  some  unfortunate 
misunderstanding  of  our  own.  But  the  slightest 
reference  to  their  books,  and  to  the  fundamental 
conception  of  the  Scripture  upon  which  their  treat- 
ment of  it  proceeds,  reveals  the  worth  of  those  pro- 
fessions. Baentsch's  comment  upon  the  opening 
words  of  Exodus  ii.  furnishes  a  farther  example. 
"The  name,"  he  says,  "  neither  of  the  father  nor  of 
the  mother  of  Moses  is  known,  nor  yet  of  the  sister. 
As  to  whence,  too,  this  sister  comes,  we  are  left 
completely  in  the  dark.  According  to  verse  i,  the 
marriage  is  celebrated ;  according  to  verse  2,  Moses 
is  the  firstfruit  of  this  marriage ;  in  verse  4,  an 
elder  sister  steps  forth,  just  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of 
course  that  every  newborn  child  finds  a  helpful  sister 
before  it  upon  the  earth.  The  author  relates  care- 
lessly, like  a  fairy-story  teller."  All  this  is  to  set  off 
the  particularity  of  the  supposed  writer  **  P,"  to 
whom  the  critics  assign  vi.  14,  &c.     Can  a  descrip- 


6o  Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  1-22. 

tion  like  that  be  reconciled  with  any  belief  in  the  in- 
spiration of  Scripture  ?  But  Baentsch  and  his  school 
seem  unable  to  perceive  the  meaning  of  the  language 
in  the  text.  As  we  have  already  noted,  the  form  of 
expression  chosen  indicates  that  in  what  seemed  an 
ordinary  commonplace  event,  God  was  preparing 
help  for  His  people.  The  charge,  too,  of  careless 
narration  refutes  itself.  There  is  nothing  more 
"masterly  in  literature  than  these  verses,  which  give 
us  a  history  in  a  few  simple  touches.  The  writer 
has  one  distinct  goal  before  him ;  and,  pressing  on 
to  that,  he  turns  aside  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor 
to  the  left.  He  has  to  tell  us  about  Moses;  his 
birth  and  preservation  for  the  first  months ;  his  after 
peril  and  deliverance;  his  training;  his  champion- 
ship of,  and  rejection  by,  Israel  All  this  is  done 
with  a  directness,  brevity,  and  ease  which  reveal  the 
perfection  of  the  narrator's  art.  It  is  no  more  a 
part  of  the  writer's  purpose  to  tell  the  story  of  that 
family  than  it  is  to  give  the  history  of  Egypt.  He 
desires  as  little  to  say  how  many  children  there  are 
in  this  family,  or  to  record  their  names  and  those  of 
the  father  and  the  mother,  as  to  record  the  names  of 
the  reigning  Pharaoh  and  of  his  wife  and  children. 
All  needful  information  will  be  given  by-and-bye  in 
its  proper  place.  Here  we  have  to  mark  one  thing 
only,  and  that  is  the  beginning  of  the  story  of  Moses. 
A  passage  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  has  been 
generally  connected  with  the  flight  of  Moses.  There 
we  are  told  (Hebrews  xi.  27)  that  "  by  faith  he 
(Moses)  forsook  Egypt,  not  fearing  the  wrath  of  the 


Criticisms  and   Difficulties.  6i 

king;  for  he  endured  as  seeing  Him  Who  is  in- 
visible." Two  methods  of  explanation  have  been 
followed.  One  applies  these  words  to  the  breaking 
up  of  the  camp  at  Succoth,  and  the  advance  into  the 
wilderness.  But  no  wrath  of  the  king  stood  in  the 
way  of  that  advance.  Everything  was  then  done, 
indeed,  with  the  permission  and  the  goodwill  of  king 
and  people.  It  has  been  pointed  out,  too,  that  to 
apply  the  words  in  that  way  is  to  throw  the  refer- 
ences in  Hebrews  xi.  into  confusion.  Just  before, 
we  have  the  determination  of  Moses  to  identify  him- 
self with  his  people  (verses  24-26) ;  and  immediately 
after  this  statement  about  the  forsaking  of  Egypt 
(verse  27)  we  find  these  words :  "  Through  faith  he 
kept  the  Passover  "  (verse  28).  It  is  plain,  therefore, 
that  the  abandonment  of  Egypt  preceded,  and  did 
not  follow,  the  keeping  of  the  Passover.  That  solu- 
tion of  the  difficulty  has,  therefore,  to  be  abandoned. 
The  second  explanation  understands  the  words  to 
refer  to  Moses'  flight  from  Egypt  into  the  land  of 
Midian.  But  in  the  latter  case  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture have  to  be  subjected  to  an  intolerable  strain. 
The  faith  of  Moses  on  that  occasion  is  not  at  all 
apparent;  and,  as  for  confidence  in  God,  which 
sweeps  out  dread  of  the  king's  wrath,  we  search  for 
it  in  vain.  The  words  of  Exodus  are  plainly  in- 
tended to  show  us  a  spirit  the  reverse  of  that 
described  in  Hebrews  xi.  27 ;  for  we  read :  "  Moses 
feared  and  said,  Surely  this  thing  is  known  .  .  Moses 
fled  from  the  face  of  Pharaoh  "  (Exodus  ii.  14,  15). 
Neither  of  the  above  explanations  can  be  accepted, 


62  Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  1  -22. 

and  the  difficulty  sends  us  back  again  to  the  Exodus 
history.  Was  there  any  incident  which  occurred 
between  the  return  of  Moses  to  Egypt  and  the 
observance  of  the  first  Passover  to  which  the  refer- 
ence in  Hebrews  can  be  applied  ?  Recurring  to  the 
history,  we  are  arrested  before  one  of  its  most 
memorable  scenes,  which  occurred  just  before  the 
observance  of  the  Passover.  We  are  told  in  chap.  x. 
that,  terrified  by  the  three  days'  darkness,  Pharaoh 
sent  for  Moses,  and  proposed  a  compromise.  The 
entire  people  were  to  have  liberty  to  go  and  serve 
Jehovah,  but  they  were  to  leave  their  flocks  and 
herds,  apparently  as  pledges  for  their  return.  Moses 
refused  the  offer.  The  Israelites  must  have  sacrifices 
with  them,  "Our  cattle  also,"  said  Moses,  "  shall 
go  with  us;  there  shall  not  an  hoof  be  left  behind" 
(x.  24-26).  The  result  was  an  exhibition  of  royal 
fury,  which  kindled  an  answering  indignation  in  the 
breast  of  Moses.  "And  Pharaoh  said  unto  him. 
Get  thee  from  me;  take  heed  to  thyself;  see  my  face 
no  more ;  for  in  that  day  thou  seest  my  face  thou 
shalt  die  "  (x.  28).  The  narrative  has  suffered  in  our 
translation  by  the  use  of  the  past  tense  instead  of 
the  pluperfect.  Instead  of  "  And  the  Lord  said 
unto  Moses"  in  xi.  i,  read:  "And  the  Lord  had 
said  unto  Moses,"  and  the  connection  is  clear.  God 
had  already  commanded  Moses  to  have  preparations 
made  for  departure.  He  had  directed  him  to  urge 
the  Israelites  to  ask  from  the  Egyptians  who  sur- 
rounded them  "jewels  of  silver  and  jewels  of  gold." 
This  had   been   done  with  great  success,  for  "  the 


Criticisms  and  Difficulties.  63 

Lord  gave  the  people  favour  in  the  sight  of  the 
Egyptians."  In  view  of  this,  Moses  now  announced 
to  Pharaoh  what  was  about  to  happen.  God  would 
break  the  proud  heart  of  the  king.  All  the  first-born 
in  the  land  of  Egypt  would  die.  "  And  there  shall 
be  a  great  cry  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt, 
such  as  there  was  none  like  it,  nor  shall  be  like  it 
anymore.  But  against  any  of  the  children  of  Israel 
shall  not  a  dog  move  his  tongue,  against  man  or 

beast And  all  these  thy  servants  shall  come 

down  unto  me,  and  bow  down  themselves  unto  me, 
saying,  Get  thee  out,  and  all  the  people  that  follow 
thee :  and  after  that  I  will  go  out.  And  he  went  out 
from  Pharaoh  in  a  great  anger"  (xi.  6-8). 

It  was  an  open  defiance  of  the  king.  If  Pharaoh's 
anger  burned  before,  it  must  have  flamed  now  with 
a  ten-fold  fierceness.  And  why  was  that  word  spoken  ? 
Simply  because  the  departure  was  determined  upon, 
and  was  being  arranged  for.  Never  again  ^yould  the 
Israehtes  bear  an  Egyptian  burden,  or  be  smitten 
with  the  rod  of  the  taskmaster.  The  final  prepara- 
tions are  made,  and  the  fourteenth  of  the  month 
Nisan  is  fixed  for  Egypt's  final  chastisement  and 
Israel's  freedom.  That  was  a  point  in  the  long 
struggle  at  which  the  faith  of  Moses  shone  out  with 
surpassing  splendour.  The  final  word  was  spoken ; 
the  great  resolve  was  made;  the  last  links  with 
Egypt  were  severed.  It  was  forsaken  in  faith,  "  not 
fearing  the  wrath  of  the  king,  for  he  endured  as 
seeing  Him  Who  is  invisible."  It  is,  indeed,  open 
to  anyone  to  reply  that  the  land  was  not  actually 


64  Exodus — The   Redeemer — ii.  1-22. 

abandoned,  and  that  several  days  elapsed  before  the 
hosts  of  Israel  assembled  and  marched  to  Succoth. 
That  is  so.  But  the  fact  remains  that  all  that  fol- 
lowed was  the  result  of  this  final  determination  now 
announced  to  Pharaoh.  The  last  preparations  in 
the  issuing  of  directions  for  the  choice  of  the  lamb, 
and  the  observances  of  the  14th  Nisan,  were  all  in 
View  of  the  departure.  They  were  as  much  part  of 
it  as  the  actual  assembling  of  the  tribes,  the  issuing 
of  the  orders  for  the  march,  and  the  march  itself. 
All  these  were  the  consequences  of  that  final  rupture 
with  the  king,  and  the  closing  of  the  prolonged 
negotiations.  Notwithstanding  the  wrath  of  the 
king,  Moses  bade  him  farewell,  telling  him  that  the 
departure  of  Israel  was  now  resolved  upon,  and 
arranged,  and  that  they  should  pass  out  unhindered. 
'« By  faith  he  forsook  Egypt,  not  fearing  the  wrath 
of  the  king :  for  he  endured  as  seeing  Him  Who  is 
invisible." 

Another  difficulty  is  connected  with  the  name  of 
Moses'  father-in-law.  In  Exodus  ii.  it  is  Reuel,  or 
Raguel  (see  Numbers  x.  29).  But  in  iii.  i  (as  we 
shall  see  immediately)  we  read  :  "  Now  Moses  kept 
the  flock  of  Jethro  his  father-in-law."  The  difficulty 
is  increased  by  a  further  reference  in  Judges  iv.  11, 
where  we  read  "  or  the  children  of  Hobah,  the 
father-in-law  of  Moses."  This  difficulty  is  entirely 
due  to  those  who  introduced  the  vowel-points  into 
the  Hebrew  text  about  the  sixth  century  of  our  era. 
The  word,  as  written  by  Moses,  was  applied  to  any 
relative  by  marriage.     It  is  applied  to  Moses  himself 


The  Calling  of  Moses.  65 

by  Zipporah  in  Exodus  iv.  26 :  "A  bloody  husband 
thou  art  because  of  the  circumcision."  The  Jewish 
rabbis,  by  furnishing  the  word  with  one  set  of  vowels 
at  one  time,  and  at  another  with  a  different  set  of 
vowels,  and  taking  the  first  arrangement  to  mean 
father-in-law,  and  the  second  to  designate  any  relative 
by  marriage,  are  the  sole  authors  of  the  difficulty. 
Hobab,  and  Jethro,  and  Raguel  were  each  accurately 
described  as  the  khothen,  or  the  khathan,  of  Moses. 
When  Moses  first  arrived  in  Midian,  Raguel,  the 
father  of  Zipporah,  was  alive ;  but  forty  years  after- 
wards, when  God  appeared  to  Moses,  Raguel  seems 
to  have  been  dead.  Jethro,  his  son,  had  succeeded 
to  the  priesthood  and  to  the  headship  of  the  family. 
Hobab  seems  to  have  been  a  younger  brother  of 
Jethro's. 


CHAPTER    HI. 

The  Calling  of   Moses 

(H.  23— IV.  17). 

THIS  second  section  of  the  first  Part  of  Exodus 
commences  with  an  expression  of  the  Divine 
pity,  which  probably  entirely  escapes  the  notice  of  the 
reader  of  the  Authorised  Version.  Instead  of  "  It 
came  to  pass  in  process  of  time  that  the  king  of 
Egypt  died"  (ii.  23),  the  Hebrew  reads:  "It  came 
to  pass  after  those  many  days."  This  is  what 
Holzinger  rightly  calls  "  a  wonderful  dating  of  an 


66     Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  1  7. 

event."*  But  it  contains  a  wealth  of  suggestion  to 
which  the  higher  criticism  is  quite  oblivious,  and  for 
which  it  can  find  no  place  in  that  haphazard  patch- 
work which  it  conceives  the  Scripture  to  be.  The 
words  throb  with  the  Divine  compassion.  "Those 
many  days" — and  there  were  between  fourteen  and 
fifteen  thousand  of  them  in  the  forty  years  of  Moses' 
•sojourn  in  the  land  of  Midian — were  all  of  them 
days  of  anguish  for  God's  people. 

The  note  struck  in  this  "  wonderful  dating  "  pre- 
pares for  what  follows  : 

"And  the  children  of  Israel  sighed  by  reason 
of  the  bondage;  and  they  cried;  and  their  cry 
came  up  unto  God  by  reason  of  the  bondage. 
And  God  heard  their  groaning,  and  God  remem- 
bered His  covenant  with  Abraham,  with  Isaac, 
and  with  Jacob.  And  God  looked  upon  the 
children  of  Israel,  and  God  knew  (them)." 

The  Israelites  may  have  expected  that  the  death  of 
a  monarch  who  had  shown  himself  a  pitiless  op- 
pressor, would  have  brought  them  some  measure  of 
relief.  But  the  suppression  of  everything  that  could 
make  Israel  dangerous  was  now  the  settled  policy  of 
Egypt.  The  sighing  of  the  Israelites  continued, 
therefore,  until  their  cry  came  up  before  God.  It 
was  a  moment  for  the  tyrants  to  tremble.  God,  as 
it  were,  sets  aside  all  else,  and  proceeds  to  deal  at 
last  with  this  hoary  wrong.  His  "remembering," 
His  "looking  upon,"  His  "knowing,"  are  expres- 
sions full  of   the   hope  of    mighty  and   immediate 


The  Calling  of  Moses.  67 

deliverance.  The  reader  of  Scripture  is  quite  aware 
of  their  significance.  That  phrase,  for  example, 
"God  knew  them"  meets  us  in  Psalm  i.  6:  "The 
Lord  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous";  that  is, 
the  Lord  is  there  to  prosper  and  to  bless.  His 
knowing  Israel  tells  of  Divine  championship.  The 
Lord  identifies  Himself  with  them  ;  and  henceforth 
he  that  touches  Israel  has  to  reckon  with  the 
Almighty.  Such  moments  have  come  again  and 
again  in  the  world's  history.  Wrong  has  trampled 
upon  human  rights  and  upon  human  hearts  genera- 
tion after  generation.  And  then  at  last  the  end  has 
come.  God  has  arisen.  He  has  acknowledged  the 
oppressed ;  and  before  the  irresistible  wrath  of 
Jehovah  the  oppressors  have  gone  dov/n,  and  their 
overthrow  has  rnade  the  rights  which  they  had  scorned 
more  sacred  than  ever  in  the  eyes  of  humanity. 

The  reader  will  note  how  admirable  an  introduc- 
tion these  ver'ses  are  to  the  narrative  of  the  calling 
of  Moses,  upon  which  we  now  enter  in  chapter  iii. 

"And  Moses  was  shepherding  the  flock  of 
Jethro  his  brother-in-law,  the  priest  of  Midian; 
and  he  led  the  flock  behind  the  desert,  and  he 
came  to  the  mountain  of  God,  to  Horeb  "  (iii.  i). 

This  picture  of  Moses'  placid,  common-place, 
existence  is  dramatic  in  its  contrast  with  the  in- 
tensity of  what  has  preceded  and  what  is  to  follow. 
Moses  has  no  consciousness  of  the  great  part  which  he 
is  about  to  play  in  the  history  of  the  world ;  and  he 
has,  apparently,  made  no  preparation  for  it.   He  seems 


68     Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  17. 

to  have  heard  nothing  of  Israel's  sufferings,  and  to 
be  intent  merely  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as 
Jethro's  shepherd.  But  the  hour  has  come  when  he 
shall  have  to  shepherd  men.  His  attention  is  attracted 
by  an  unusual  spectacle.  It  is  not  so  much  that  the 
bush  is  on  fire,  though  that  itself  may  have  been 
strange  enough.  It  is  that,  though  he  has  watched 
•for  some  time,  that  fierce  flame  leaves  stem  and 
branch,  and  even  leaf,  unconsumed.  An  observant 
and  reflective  man  could  not  leave  a  matter  of  that 
kind  without  inspection.  But,  when  he  advances  to 
examine,  he  enters  upon  the  first  of  those  new  ex- 
periences that  were  to  change  everything  for  him  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.  His  steps  are  suddenly  arrested ; 
*'  God  called  unto  him  out  of  the  bush,  and  said 
Moses  !   Moses  !  !"  (verse  4). 

With  the  reply,  "  Here  am  I,"  commenced  that 
Divine  converse,  unmatched  before  in  all  the  world's 
experiences,  and  which  ceased  not  till  Moses'  last 
breath  was  drawn  upon  Mount  Nebo.  His  was  a 
work  which  was  to  be  done  in  direct  and  constant 
contact  with  God.  While  walking  to  and  fro  among 
the  men  of  his  time,  he  was  nevertheless  to  be  shut 
in  with  God.  But  there  could  have  been  few  more 
startling  experiences  in  that  long  mediatorship  than 
this  which  marked  its  beginning.-  Before  speaking 
of  the  words  which  follow,  let  us  first  note  what  is 
intended  by  the  s^'mbol  with  which  God  here 
associates  Himself.  The  lowly  acacia,  or  thorn, 
bush  of  the  desert  is  plainly  intended  to  represent 
Israel,  and  the  fire  to  set  forth  God  as  manifested  in 


The  Calling  of  Moses.  69 

His  relation  to  that  people.  Israel  was  to  be  a 
separated  race — a  desert  dweller — in  itself  pos- 
sessed of  no  beauty  or  magnificence — but  marvellous 
to  all  men  as  the  abode  of  God,  and  the  place  of 
His  revealing.  The  fire  tells  another  part  of  that 
story,  which  Israel's  experiences  were  to  add  to  the 
records  of  humanity.  Fire  is  the  symbol  of  the 
Divine  indignation  against  sin.  "Take  heed  unto 
yourselves,"  said  Moses  afterwards  to  Israel,  "... 
for  the  Lord  thy  God  is  a  consuming  fire,  even  a 
jealous  God"  (Deuteronomy  iv.  23,  24).  The  fire  set 
forth  God  in  the  swiftness  and  the  terribleness  of 
Divine  judgment.  The  third  and  last  part  of  the 
story  is  the  fact  which  astonished  Moses  that,  not- 
withstanding the  fierceness  of  the  flames  by  which 
the  bush  was  permeated  and  enveloped,  it  re- 
mained uncohsumed.  To-day,  scattered,  persecuted, 
slaughtered,  crushed  as  no  other  people  has  ever 
been,  Israel  survives.  Is  it  not  marvellous  to  find  in 
that  three-fold  symbol  this  people's  character  and 
unparalleled  history,  and  the  special  revelation 
which  it  was  to  furnish  of  God  thus  set  forth  at  the 
very  commencement  of  its  career  ?  Can  any  theory 
of  the  merely  human  origin  of  these  Scriptures 
account  for  the  origination  of  a 'symbol  so  strikingly 
prophetic  ? 

The  name  by  which  God  announces  Himself 
twice  to  Moses  (verses  6  and  15)  is  also  full  of  signi- 
ficance. That  is  indicated  by  the  words  :  "  This  is 
My  name  for  ever,  and  this  is  My  memorial  unto  all 
generations"  (verse  15).     As  we  have  already  seen, 


70     Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  17. 

the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  plainly  indicated  in 
the  association  of  the  Godhead  with  those  three 
founders  of  Israel.  Abraham  and  Isaac,  as  associated 
together  in  the  Moriah  sacrifice,  are  manifestly 
typical  of  the  Father,  Who  gave  His  only-begotten, 
and  of  the  Son,  Who  yielded  Himself  to  the 
Father's  will  for  the  world's  salvation.  Jacob's 
history  is  an  equally  fit  symbol  of  the  revelation  of 
the  Spirit.  In  Abraham's  and  in  Isaac's  time  the 
people  of  God  are  merely  a  prediction  and  an  Expecta- 
tion, as  they  are  under  the  manifestation  of  the 
Father  in  the  Old  Testament  period,  and  of  the  Son 
in  the  dawn  of  the  New  Testament  period.  But  in 
Jacob  the  people  of  God  appears.  The  individual 
becomes  a  family ;  the  family  a  tribe ;  and  the  tribe 
a  nation.  So  when  the  Spirit  is  manifested,  the 
Church  appears  and  is  multiplied.  The  reader  will 
note  how  this  is  borne  out  by  the  repetition  of  the 
name  **  God  "  in  connection  with  each  of  those  three 
men — "the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac, 
and  the  God  of  Jacob."  This  form  of  expression  is 
observed  in  verses  6  and  15,  as  well  as  in  iv.  5. 
Here,  again,  there  is  an  outlook  which  carries  us  on 
to  Calvary  and  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The  assur- 
ance, too,  that  this  is  God's  "  name  for  ever,"  and 
His  "  memorial  unto  all  generations,"  announces 
that  God  is  to  be  revealed  fully  and  for  all  aftertime 
in  His  relationship  to  this  people  of  Israel;  and  here, 
again,  we  have  an  anticipation  which  nothing  can 
explain  but  the  full  inspiration  of  this  Book  of  God. 
There  now  follows  a  record  of  pitiable  hesitation 


The  Calling  of  Moses.  71 

and  disinclination  on  Moses'  part  to  accept  the  work 
so  graciously  assigned  to  him.  That  is  a  feature  of 
the  history  which  no  makers  of  Moses-legends  ^vould 
ever  have  imagined,  or  have  dared  to  associate  with 
the  great  deHverer  of  Israel.  "  Who  am  I,"  he  asks, 
"  that  I  should  go  unto  Pharaoh,  and  that  I  should 
bring  forth  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt?" 
For  a  moment  he  seems  to  be  lifted  up  by  the 
Divine  assurance :  "  Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee ; 
and  this  shall  be  the  token  unto  thee  that  I  have 
sent  thee :  when  thou  hast  brought  forth  the  people 
out  of  Egypt,  ye  shall  serve  God  upon  this  mountain  " 
(verse  12).  But  Moses,  looking  onward,  and  imagin- 
ing himself  in  the  presence  of  Israel,  anticipates  a 
time  of  searching  questionings. 

"  Behold,  when  I  come  unto  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  shall  say  unto  them,  The  God  of 
your  fathers  hath  sent  me  unto  you ;  and  they 
shall  say  unto  me,  ^A/^hat  is  His  name  ?  what 
shall  I  say  unto  them  ?  And  God  said  unto 
Moses  I  AM,  WHAT  I  AM  :  Thus  shalt  thou 
say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  I  AM  hath 
sent  me  unto  you"  (verses  13,  14). 

Everyone  has  asked  why  Moses  made  this  inquiry 
as  to  God's  name,  and  especially  after  the  Divine 
declaration,  "I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,"  &c.  Was 
it  because  Israel,  and  even  Moses  himself,  had 
fallen  into  the  ways  of  the  heathen  who  distinguished 
between  their  "  gods  many"  by  special  designations? 
That  this  is  the  meaning  of  Moses'  question  is,  of 
course,  set  down  by  the  higher  criticism  as  unques- 


72     Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  17. 

tionable.  It  sees  here  nothing  save  a  heathen  idea. 
"It  is  only  when  one  knows,"  writes  Holzinger, 
"the  name  of  a  god  that  one  can  work  upon  him, 
and  call  upon  him."*  But  if  a  notion  of  that  sort 
had  inspired  Moses'  question,  there  was  absolutely 
no  necessity  for  that  question  to  be  asked.  A  name 
was  already  provided.  It  would  have  been  enough 
to  say  "  the  God  of  Horeb,"  or  "  the  God  of  the  bush 
that  burned  and  that  was  not  consumed."  And  the 
slightest  attention  to  the  Divine  reply  dissipates  this 
flimsy  notion.  No  name  whatever  is  given  such  as 
the  higher  critics  tell  us  was  asked  for.  Moses  is 
not  supplied  with  a  designation  such  as  heathenism 
has  lived  and  thriven  upon.  He  receives  no  name 
that  could  be  put  by  the  side  of  Amon  or  Thoth,  or 
Baal  or  Dagon,  or  Brahma  or  Vishnu.  God  does 
not  here  assume  even  the  name  Jehovah.  The 
Divine  answer  is  not  the  communication  of  a  name, 
in  that  sense  of  the  term.  Instead  of  that  it  lifts 
the  veil,  and  reveals  the  Divine  nature :  "  I  am,  what 
I  am." 

But  what,  then,  did  Moses  really  mean  ?  To 
answer  this  question  we  have  to  recall  his  position. 
He  is  commanded  to  visit  Israel,  and  to  awaken 
confidence  in  a  people  whom  a  heartless  oppression 
has  plunged  into  despair.  He  himself  is  utterly 
wanting  in  any  power  to  create  so  mighty  a  change. 
If  the  change,  then,  is  to  be  brought  about,  the 
power  must  lie  in  the  message  he  is  to  carry.  There 
must  be  life  and  might  in  that,  or  he  need  not  turn 


The  Calling  of  Moses.  73 

his  face  towards  Egypt.  When  they  ask,  as  they 
will  ask,  who  it  is  that  sent  him,  the  reply  must  in 
some  way  accredit  him  and  convince  them.  He 
himself  is  in  the  presence  of  the  Divine  glory.  If 
he  can  convey  to  the  people  something  of  the  power 
of  that  disclosure — if  the  fire  will  burn  in  the  name — 
if  God  will  reveal  Himself  in  some  striking  designa- 
tion as  Israel's  champion  and  their  oppressor's  foe — 
then  the  task  of  God's  messenger  will  be  easier.  To 
speak  of  God  as  the  God  of  their  fathers  did  not 
seem  to  meet  the  need.  It  revived,  indeed,  the 
memory  of  the  past ;  but  it  appeared  to  lack  any 
vitalizing  touch  for  the  present.  Moses. and  Israel 
had  yet  to  learn  that  God's  past  is  surest  promise 
for  the  present  and  for  the  future.  And  this  seems 
to  be  the  lesson  of  that  name  which  God  now 
assumes.  "I  am  what  I  am"  tells  of  the  un- 
changeableness  of  the  Divine  nature,  and,  therefore, 
also  of  the- continuity  of  the  Divine  purpose.  He 
who  watched  over  the  fathers  in  Canaan  has  neither 
forsaken  nor  forgotten  the  children  in  Egypt.  The 
choice  which  God  had  then  revealed  He  had  not 
abandoned ;  He  has  not  abandoned  it  even  now,  in 
this  twentieth  century  of  the  Christian  era;  and  if 
the  ground  of  this  assurance  is  asked  for,  it  is  there 
in  that  name:  "I  am,  what  I  am" — the  un- 
changeable— **  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for 
ever." 

The  needful  instructions  are  now  given  to  Moses. 
He  is  first  of  all  to  assemble  the  elders  of  Israel  and 
to  acquaint  them  with  his  mission,  the  nearness  of 


74     Exodus— The  Redeemer — ii.  23— iv.  1  7. 

the  Divine  help,  and  God's  resolve  to  give  them  now 
the  inheritance  promised  of  old  to  the  fathers.  The 
reception  which  Moses  will  meet  with  is  then  dis- 
closed. The  elders  will  listen  to,  and  believe,  him. 
They  will  also  accompany  him  to  Pharaoh,  and  will, 
by  their  presence,  support  the  demand  that  Israel  be 
allowed  to  depart  upon  a  three  days'  journey  into 
the  wilderness  to  worship  Jehovah.  He  is  further 
told  what  the  result  of  the  appeal  will  be.  It  will  be 
refused.  But  that  refusal  will  be  the  beginning  of  a 
struggle  with  God  in  which  Egypt  will  be  van- 
quished, and  Israel  will  not  only  be  set  free,  but  will 
also  go  out  enriched  by  the  gifts  of  the  Egyptians 
(verses  18-22). 

But  God  has  still  to  wrestle  with  the  unbelief  of 
him  whose  trust,  though  sorely  tried,  never  after- 
wards faltered.  Moses  vividly  realises  his  utter 
unfitness  for  this  mighty  service,  and,  in  his  reckon- 
ing, that  assurance  of  God,  "  Certainly  I  will  be  with 
thee,"  finds  no  place.  To  his  expressed  conviction  : 
"They  will  not  believe  me,  nor  hearken  to  my  voice  ; 
for  they  will  say.  The  Lord  hath  not  appeared  unto 
thee,"  God  replies  by  arming  with  a  threefold  sign. 
The  rod  in  his  hand,  cast  upon  the  ground,  becomes 
a  serpent,  from  which  he  flees  in  terror.  He  is 
directed  to  come  behind  it,  and  to.  seize  it  by  the 
tail,  when  it  becomes  again  a  rod.  He  is  bidden  to 
put  his  hand  into  his  bosom,  and  it  becomes 
"leprous  as  snow."  Again,  in  obedience  to  the 
Divine  command,  he  places  it  once  more  in  his 
bosom,  and  "  it  was  turned  again  as  his  other  flesh." 


The  Calling  of   Moses.  75 

Last  of  all,  he  is  told  that  power  is  given  him  to 
work  a  third  sign  in  Egypt.  He  will  take  there  of 
the  water  of  the  Nile  and  pour  it  upon  the  dry  land, 
and  the  water  will  be  turned  into  blood.  Had  those 
signs  any  significance  beyond  their  certifying  Moses' 
message  ?  In  the  case  of  the  first,  Moses'  attention 
is  drawn  to  the  fact  that  what  is  in  his  hand  is  a  rod 
(iv.  2).  It  was  his  support.  The  upholding  of  Him 
in  Whom  "  we  Hve  and  move  and  have  our  being  " 
is  seemingly  as  passive  and  as  commonplace  as  the 

rod  in  Moses'  hand.     But  let  God  be  renounced 

let  Him  be  cast  away— and  the  hitherto  seemingly 
passive  power  will  become  a  peril  and  a  terror  from 
which  we  flee.  On  the  other  hand,  when  no  longer 
opposed,  but  taken  to  us  again  in  submission  and 
holy  fear,  it  will  once  more  serve  us.  It  was  a 
warning  to  Moses,  to  Israel,  and  to  Pharaoh.  The 
second  sign  told  of  the  power  of  God  to  judge  and 
to  bless ;  to.  make  life  a  horror^  and  to  sweep  away 
the  horror  as  if  it  had  been  a  dream.  That  also  was 
prophetic  of  Egypt's  coming  tribulation,  and  of 
many  a  period  in  Israel's  after  history.  In  the  third 
sign  the  place  whence  Moses  is  directed  to  take  the 
water  affords  a  key  to  the  interpretation. 

"Thou  Shalt  take  of  the  v^ater  of  the  river, 
and  pour  it  upon  the  dry  land:  and  the  water 
which  thou  takest  out  of  the  river  shall  be  and 
shall  be  blood  upon  the  dry  land"  (iv.  9). 

The  Nile  was  Egypt's  life.  Its  waters,  in  the 
annual  inundation,  pouring  over  its  banks  and 
spreading  the  fertilising  mud  over  the  ground,  pre- 


76     Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  17. 

pared  the  way  for  the  harvest.  But  the  sign  showed 
that  God  could  turn  that  blessing  into  a  fearful 
scourge.  Instead  of  life  He  might  make  the  river 
bring  forth  death:  instead  of  fruitfulness,  corruption. 
The  unusual  form,  "  shall  be  and  shall  be,"  conveys 
the  strong  and  solemn  assurance  that  this  means  of 
blessing  shall  certainly  be  turned  into  a  vehicle  of 
judgment — a  threatening  that  was  afterwards  ful- 
filled in  the  two  first  plagues. 

But  all  this  wealth  of  assurance  only  increased 
Moses'  terror.  It  was  like  arming  a  man  for  the 
battle  whose  heart  faints  and  whose  only  desire  is  to 
flee.  There  is  a  note  of  liveliest  apprehension,  and 
even  of  anguish,  in  his  words  (for  it  is  only  now  that 
we  find  the  entreating  phrase  "  O  my  Lord"). 

"As  for  me,  O  my  Lord,  I  am  not  a  man  of 
words,  neither  yesterday,  nor  from  the  third 
day,  nor  from  the  time  of  Thy  speaking  to  Thy 
servant:  for  I  am  heavy  of  mouth,  and  heavy 
of  tongue  "  (iv.  10). 

The  phrase,  "  neither  yesterday,"  &c.,  indicates 
that  Moses  has  been  conscious  of  no  preparation  for 
such  service;  as  if  such  a  preparation  must  have 
been  a  necessityhad  it  really  been  intended  that  he 
should  undertake  the  embassy  !  God's  longsuffering, 
however,  still  abides,  and  this  objection  also  is  met 
with  the  pledge  of  Divine  help.  God  will  be  mouth 
and  wisdom  to  him.  And  now,  driven  from  every 
shelter  of  excuse,  and  wholly  at  bay,  Moses  ventures 
to  absolutely  decline  the  service.  The  Divine  anger 
is  kindled,  and  Aaron  is   assigned   to  him    as   his 


Critical  Fancies  and  Ancient  Difficulties.      77 

helper.  What  God  desired  to  be  the  glory  of  one 
man  is  now  divided  between  two.  It  is  the  penalty 
of  timidity.  The  shrinking  from  God's  service  is 
the  diminishing  of  man's  glory.  Aaron  was  to  be 
the  spokesman  of  Moses.  "  He  shall  be  to  thee 
instead  of  a  mouth,  and  thou  shalt  be  to  him  instead 
of  God"  (verse  i6).  And  that  display  of  the  Divine 
indignation  did  its  work.  Moses'  opposition  in- 
stantly ceased ;  and  his  great  career  began  in  holy 
fear,  if  not  in  the  joy  of  assured  confidence.  God's 
last  word  was:  "Thou  shalt  take  this  rod  in  thine 
hand,  wherewith  thou  shalt  do  signs"  (verse  17). 
That  hour  at  Sinai  was  never  to  be  forgotten 
throughout  all  the  after  triumph  and  service. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Critical  Fancies  and  Ancient  Difficulties. 

THIS  Section  of  Exodus  has  been  subjected  by 
the  critics  to  the  most  minute  analysis.  One 
result  must  be  to  make  their  students  despair  of 
ever  embarking  upon  really  independent  study. 
The  opening  words  of  the  Section  (ii.  23,  etc.),  for 
example,  are  divided  as  follows:  "And  it  came  to 
pass  after "  (assigned  to  J)  "  many "  (given  to  Rp) 
"days  that  the  king  of  Egypt  died"  (J  again),  etc. 
The  notion,  that  any  writer  called  J,  or  named  by 
any  other  letter  of  the  alphabet,  could  not  have  em- 


78     Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  17. 

ployed  that  word  "  many,"  and  that  another  writer 
must,  therefore,  be  invented  to  account  for  its 
presence  in  the  Scripture,  will  hardly  find  a  parallel 
in  all  the  annals  of  absurdity.  There  are  signs, 
however,  that  the  critics  are  at  last  realising  that 
they  have  got  beyond  their  depth  in  this  pursuit 
of  folly,  and  that  they  are  floundering  hopelessly. 
Baentsch  (1903)  gives  iii.  19,  etc.  to  E;  but  he  follows 
that  sign  "E"  with  ["Rje"?].  The  meaning  of 
this  is  that,  while  he  assigns  the  portion  to  E,  he 
thinks  that  opinion  open  to  question,  and  believes 
it  to  be  quite  possible  that  the  passage  is  the 
result  of  the  writing  and  the  tinkering  of  at  least 
three  different  hands !  If  we  turn  to  Holzinger's 
analysis  of  Exodus  (1900),  we  find  those  marks  o^ 
interrogation  *  as  thickly  scattered  as  if  they  had 
fallen  from  a  vigorously  shaken  pepper-pot.  And, 
nevertheless,  uninformed  men  talk  of  "  the  assured 
results  of  the  higher  criticism  " !  The  critics  have 
now  advanced  so  far  that  they  begin  to  perceive  that 
their  "  results  "  are  open  to  questionings  which  they 
are  unable  to  resolve. 

We  have  seen  how  the  unique  plan  of  the  Book 
— a  plan  which  permeates  the  whole — demonstrates 
its  unity.  We  have  to  do  throughout  with  one  writer 
and  not  with  more.  Were  it  worth  the  toil,  the  unity 
of  the  Book  might  be  proved  in  many  ways.  I 
mention  one  fact  only,  which  Keil  has  long  ago 
pointed  out.  The  situation  of  Midian,  the  home  of 
Zipporah,  the  wife  of  Moses,  and  of  her  relatives,  is 


Critical  Fancies  and  Ancient  Difficulties.     79 

not  described.  Its  situation  is  supposed  to  be  so  fully 
known  to  the  first  readers  of  Exodus  that  any  infor- 
mation concerning  the  locality  was  unnecessary. 
The  generation  which  marched  through  the  wilder- 
ness was  in  exactly  that  position.  Now,  if  we  have 
to  do  here  with  the  work  of  one  writer,  though  the 
geographical  position  is  not  described,  yet  the  position 
of  it  implied  in  one  part  of  the  Book  will  be  identical 
with  the  position  which  is  implied  in  other  parts  of 
the  Book.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Book  is  com- 
piled from  documents  belonging  to  far  separated 
ages,  and  written  by  men  who  had  no  accurate 
acquaintance  with  the  localities  to  which  the  Book 
refers,  we  may  expect  that  the  geographical  position 
implied  in  one  passage  will  differ  from  that  implied 
in  another.  That  there  should  be  absolute  agreement 
among  blundering  traditions,  idle  legends,  and  bold 
falsifications  would  be  nothing  short  of  miraculous. 

But  this  absolute  agreement  between  the  alleged 
"sources"  actually  exists!  For  example,  Moses 
(iii.  i)  has  to  cross  a  desert  in  order  to  pasture 
Jethro's  flocks  in  Horeb.  Midian,  therefore,  lay 
somewhere  on  the  eastern  side  of  Sinai,  with  a  desert 
between  the  mountain  range  and  it.  Will  the  reader 
note  that  iii.  i  (from  which  we  gleari  this  information) 
is  assigned  to  E  ?  If  we  now  turn  to  iv.  27,  we  learn 
that  Moses,  on  his  way  from  Midian  to  Egypt,  meets 
Aaron  at  Horeb.  Let  us  pause  a  moment  and  see 
what  this  means.  Egypt  lies  to  the  north-west  of 
Horeb.  If  Moses,  then,  comes  to  Horeb  on  his  way 
from  Midian,  he  must  have  come  from  the  south-east. 


8o     Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  1  7. 

Midian,  therefore,  lay  to  the  south-east  of  Horeb. 
Let  me  ask  the  reader  to  note  that  iv.  27  is  assigned 
to  JE.  Last  of  all,  in  Numbers  x.  30,  we  are  told  that 
Hobab  proposes  to  return  to  his  own  land  and  to  his 
kindred.  That  determination  was  come  to  when  the 
Israelites  had  commenced  their  march  to  the  south 
of  Palestine.  They  were  then  about  to  march  to  the 
north-east.  Now  if  Hobab  feels  that  he  has  to  part 
company  with  them  there,  it  can  only  be  because  his 
home  lies  in  another  direction.  That  is  explained  at 
once  when  we  recollect  that  Exodus  iv.  27  implies 
that  Midian  lies  south-east  of  Sinai.  Let  the  reader 
now  make  a  third  note.  Numbers  x.  30  is  assigned 
to  J  1  Consequently  E,  JE,  and  J  are  absolutely  at 
one  in  this  subtle  harmony  of  reference.  That  fact, 
while  perfectly  in  harmony  with  the  Scripture 
teaching  as  to  the  unity  of  the  Book,  can  not  be 
reconciled  with  the  critical  theory  of  diverse 
**  Sources." 

The  request  which  Moses  is  commanded  to  lay 
before  Pharaoh  has  long  presented  a  very  serious 
difficulty.  In  iii.  18,  we  read  :  "  And  thou  shalt  come, 
thou  and  the  elders  of  Israel,  unto  the  king  of  Egypt, 
and  ye  shall  say  unto  him.  The  Lord  God  of  the 
Hebrews  hath  met  with  us :  and  now  let  us  go,  we 
beseech  thee,  three  days' journey  into  the  wilderness, 
that  we  may  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  our  God."  That 
this  demand  asked  for  less  than  God  had  promised 
to  Israel  cannot  be  denied.  Already  in  iii.  12  Moses 
has  been  told  that  he  and  the  people  of  Israel  shall 
worship  God  on  that  mountain.    But  Sinai  was  more 


Critical  Fancies  and  Ancient  Difficulties.     8i 

than  a  three  days'  journey  from  Egypt.  There  was 
one  day's  march  from  Rameses  to  Succoth  (xii.  37), 
and  a  second  from  Succoth  to  the  camping-place 
between  Migdol  and  the  sea  (xiv.  2).  After  that  they 
went  three  days'  journey  in  the  wilderness  to  reach 
Marah,  now  "the  well  of  Moses"  (xv.  22).  Here, 
then,  after  five  days' journey  from  Rameses,  they  are 
still  far  from  Sinai,  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  they 
only  reached  after  from  six  weeks  to  two  months' 
marching  and  resting  in  the  wilderness  (xix.  i). 
Still  less  can  the  demand  be  reconciled  with  the 
promise  (iii.  8) :  "I  am  come  down  to  deliver  them 
out  of  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians,  and  to  bring  them 
up  out  of  that  land  unto  a  good  land  and  a  large." 
The  request  held  out  the  distinct  hope  of  Israel's 
return;  but  it  is  already  promised  to  Israel  that  there 
will  be  no  return.  The  "  three  days'  journey  into  the 
wilderness  "  asked  merely  that  Israel  should  be  per- 
mitted to  go  sufficiently  far  from  the  Egyptian 
frontier  to  worship  Jehovah  without  let  or  hindrance. 
To  Israel,  on  the  other  hand,  no  mention  is  made  of 
a  merely  temporary  relaxation  from  their  bitter 
bondage.  They  are  promised  a  full  deliverance — an 
Exodus  which  will  be  followed  by  no  return.  Is  the 
Scripture  speaking,  then,  with  two.  voices  ?  Is  Israel 
to  be  got  away  by  stealth,  and  is  the  foundation  of 
the  kingdom  of  God,  the  dominion  of  righteousness 
and  truth,  to  be  laid  in  duplicity? 

The  critics  have  not  hesitated  to  give  an  affir- 
mative reply.    Knobel  distinctly  says  that  Moses  and 

the  Israelitish  elders  were  "to  deceive  the  king."  To 

G 


82      Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  1  7. 

this  Keil  and  Hengstenberg  rightly  reply,  that  the 
request  placed  before  Pharaoh  is  limited  in  accord- 
ance with  an  entirely  different  purpose.  God  is 
entering  upon  a  controversy  with  Pharaoh  and  with 
Egypt.  He  is  about  to  judge  them ;  and,  in  order 
that  they  may  be  judged,  they  must  first  be  revealed 
to  themselves  and  to  all  men.  Had  they  been  asked 
to  suffer  the  Israelites  to  depart  from  Egypt,  so  large 
a  demand  might  have  seemed  to  others,  and  certainly 
would  have  appeared  to  the  Egyptians  themselves,  as 
so  unreasonable  as  to  justify  their  refusaL  A  request 
is  made,  therefore,  against  which  no  charge  of  the 
kind  can  be  brought.  A  three  days'  journey  into  the 
wilderness  need  not  have  taken  the  Israelites  much 
beyond  the  Egyptian  frontier.  It  was  also  perfectly 
reasonable,  even  to  heathen  notions,  that  they  should 
be  permitted  to  worship  their  God  after  the  accepted 
manner.  The  heart  of  Pharaoh  and  of  his  people 
was,  therefore,  revealed  in  their  scornful  refusal  of  a 
perfectly  reasonable  request.  In  this  way  they  com- 
mitted themselves  to  what  was  manifestly  unjust ;  and 
in  proceeding  against  them  God  was  consequently 
justified  even  in  their  own  eyes.  Conscience  was 
stirred.  Egypt  knew  itself  to  be  in  the  wrong ;  and 
a  pathway  was  made  there  for  return  to  the  living 
God — the  God  of  the  conscience — for  all  who  desired 
to  be  at  peace  with  Him  Whom  they  had  offended. 
Has  God  ever  judged  a  people  whom  He  has  not  first 
dealt  v*^ith  in  that  very  way?  National  judgments 
have  been  preceded  by  some  outstanding  transgres- 
sion in  which    the   heart   of  the  nation    has  been 


Critical  Fancies  and  Ancient  Difficulties.     83 

manifested.  Carlyle  traces  the  fearful  blow  which 
fell  upon  the  clergy  and  the  aristocracy  in  the  French 
Revolution  to  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew. 
France  had  sought  to  crush  the  Reformation  as 
Egypt  had  sought  to  crush  Israel.  Spain  dug  the 
grave  for  her  greatness  and  her  fame  in  the  establish- 
ment of  her  Inquisition,  and  in  her  relentless  wars 
against  a  people  who  desired  to  remove  from  the 
Church  what  were  glaring,  and  largely  confessed, 
scandals. 

But  we  have  to  go  farther  to  find  the  full  ex- 
planation of  that  request.  The  demand  was  indeed 
limited.  It  was  seemingly  a  small  matter  that  was 
asked  for.  But  what  was  asked  for  set  forth  and 
inscribed  in  flaming  characters  Israel's  mission.  This 
conflict  was  to  be  waged  on  ground  chosen  by  the 
Almighty.  The  battle  was  not  one  merely  for  Israel's 
deliverance  from  bitter  bondage.  It  was  not  fought 
and  won  solelythat  Israel  might  be  able  to^o  forth 
and  possess  the  land  promised  to  her  fathers.  The 
one  purpose,  to  which  every  other  was  subsidiary  and 
contributory,  was  that  Israel  should  dwell  in  God's 
Tabernacle.  She  was  redeemed  to  be  His  people. 
Her  one  mission  was  and  is  to  serve  Jehovah.  No 
other  demand  would  have  adequately  stated  the  claim 
that  God  was  now  making  and  urging  in  the  face  of 
humanity.  No  other  could  have  so  set  forth  God's 
claim  as  against  the  claim  of  Pharaoh.  Pharaoh 
said:  "The  people  is  mine;  I  will  not  let  them  go." 
God  said:  "The  people  is  Mine;  thou  must  let  them 
go;  they  have  been  created  and  chosen  that  they 


84     Exodus — The  Redeemer — ii.  23 — iv.  17. 

may  serve  Me."  The  conflict  was  being  waged  over 
the  destiny  of  a  race,  its  place  in  history  and  in  the 
service  of  humanity.  Was  Israel  to  be  slave,  or 
priest  ?  Egypt's  beast  of  burden,  or  the  anointed  of 
Jehovah  ?  That  was  the  question ;  and  was  it  possible 
that  God  could  have  done  other  than  put  that 
question,  written  large  and  clear,  in  the  forefront  of 
-this  great  controversy? 

And  let  me  add  that  the  demand  was  prophetic. 
Israel  is  in  this  matter  also  the  type  of  God's  people. 
When  Christianity  began  its  conflict  with  the  Roman 
Empire,  what  was  the  one  question  over  which  the 
great  debate  proceeded  ?  We  all  know  now  what 
God  intended.  The  nations  were  to  abandon  their 
idols  so  that  their  very  names,  as  the  household 
words  of  the  peoples,  were  to  perish.  But  no  demand 
was  made  by  the  Christian  Church  that  the  temples 
should  be  closed,  and  that  the  heathen  priesthoods 
should  be  abolished.  One  thing  only  was  asked,  and 
that  apparently  one  of  the  slightest.  It  was  freedom 
to  worship  the  living  God — the  very  demand  made  for 
Israel  in  Egypt.  Over  that  the  battle  raged  for 
centuries.  The  triumph  came  when  that  was  won. 
It  was  not  for  any  claim  the  Christians  made  to 
direct  the  worship  of  the  Roman  Empire:  it  was  not 
for  their  rights  as  citizens :  it  was  for  liberty  to 
worship  God  in  accordance  with  His  demands.  That 
claim  kept  them,  and  when  the  triumph  came  it 
consecrated  them,  as  the  people  of  God. 

Another  difficulty  claims  a  final  word.  It  is  one 
which  the  rationalist  is  most  unwilling  to  lay  down. 


Critical  Fancies  and  Ancient  Difficulties.     85 

It  has  served  him  well  in  the  past,  and  might  have 
been  serving  him  still,  had  not  scholarship  proved  its 
utter  unworthiness.  In  iii.  22  we  read  :  "  But  every 
woman  shall  borrow  of  her  neighbour,  and  of  her 
that  sojourneth  in  her  house,  jewels  of  silver,  and 
jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment :  and  ye  shall  put  them 
upon  your  sons,  and  upon  your  daughters ;  and  ye 
shall  spoil  the  Egyptians."  The  word  "borrow" 
has,  in  English-speaking  lands,  imparted  to  this  old 
weapon  its  sharpness  and  venom.  He  who  borrows 
plainly  implies  an  intention  to  restore.  But,  as  it  is 
quite  clear  that  the  Israelites  had  no  such  intention, 
they  (it  used  to  be  urged)  were  guilty  of  fraud,  and 
that,  too,  in  their  obeying  a  Divine  command !  And 
certainly,  if  the  premiss  were  trustworthy,  the  con- 
clusion would  be  inevitable.  But  that  the  premiss  is 
a  delusion  every  "Hebrew  student  knows.  The  word 
sha-al  does  not  mean  to  "  borrow."  It  is  the  ordinary 
Hebrew  word -"to  ask,"  and  is  used  scores  of  times 
in  that  sense.  It  was  probably  the  context  which 
led  our  translators  to  give  a  sense  to  the  word  here 
which  is  not  given  to  it  in  any  of  the  ancient  trans- 
lations, or  even  in  the  German  of  Luther.  The 
Septuagint  renders  the  word  attest  (ask) ;  Jerome's 
Latin  renders  it  by  postiilabit  (ask,  request) ;  Luther 
hy  fordern  (demand,  ask). 

While  knowing  all  this,  Holzinger*  declines  to 
abandon  the  objection.  He  writes:  "Concerning 
the  permissibility  of  this  cheating  of  the  foe,  the 
narrative    does   not   reflect."     And  why   should    it 

*Exi.dHS,  S.  15. 


86     Exodus — The  Redeemer — iv.  18 — vi.  12. 

reflect  upon  a  view  of  the  matter  which  could  not 
have  presented  itself  except  to  a  mind  bent  upon 
distorting  the  facts?  To  whom  could  the  notion 
have  suggested  itself  that  the  Egyptians  were  being 
"  cheated  "  in  that  transaction  ?  The  Israelites  were 
being  thrust  out  of  the  land.  The  Egyptians  had 
learned  to  tremble  at  their  presence,  and  desired 
nothing  less  than  their  return  to  Egypt.  They  now 
saw  in  them  the  favoured  people  of  the  living  God, 
and  had  the  liveliest  sense  of  the  accumulated 
wrongs  which  they  and  their  fathers  had  heaped 
upon  them.  When,  therefore,  the  Israelite^  made 
this  request — a  request  which  we  may  well  believe 
had  behind  it  the  most  painful  need  as  well  as  the 
Divine  injunction — it  presented  to  the  Egyptians  a 
means  of  atonement  of  which  they  availed  them- 
selves with  fervour.  To  calmly  pen  that  word 
"cheating"  may  well  become  a  partisan,  but  is 
quite  beneath  the  dignity  of  a  scholar. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Moses   in    Egypt 

(IV.  i8— VI.  12). 

WE  shall  fail  to  understand  this  third  and  last 
Section  of  The  Story  of  the  Redeemer  of 
Israel  unless  we  weigh  well  its  opening  words. 
Moses  now  acquiesced  silently  in  this  Divine  ap- 
pointment which  he  was  not  permitted  to  decline. 


Moses  m  Egypt.  87 

But  there  was  no  elation :  there  was  not  even  perfect 
confidence.     There  seems,  at  first  sight,  to  be  no 
connection  between  verses  18  and  19.  There  appears 
to  be,  indeed,  a  distinct  break  in  the  narrative,  so 
much  so  that  some  commentators  have  begun  this 
third  Section  with  verse  19,  and  regard  verse  18  as 
closing  the  preceding  Section.     A  careful  reading  of 
18,  however,  dispels  that  illusion.      Moses  prepares 
to  return  to  Egypt  ;  but,  in  breaking  the  news  of  his 
intended  departure  to  Jethro,  he  says  nothing  of  the 
Divine   command,  and  is  equally  silent  as  to   the 
vision   at  Sinai.     He   is  returning,  he  says,  to  see 
whether  his  brethren  be  yet  alive.     What  does   it 
mean  ?     Is  it,  that  though  he  returns  to  Egypt,  he 
has  no  confidence  in  his  mission ;  and  that,  in  case 
of  the  failure  he  dreads,  he  will  not  commit  himself 
by  saying  a  word  as  to  that  which  has  really  necessi- 
tated his  departure  ?     There  is  thus  the  closest  con- 
nection with,  the  next  words :    "And  the  Lord  said 
unto  Moses  in  Midian,  Go,  return  into  Egypt :  for  all 
the  men  are  dead  that  sought  thy  life  "  (verse  19). 
The  Divine  command  is  reiterated,  and, the  not  un- 
natural apprehension  of  Moses  that  he  was  thrust- 
ing himself  into  the  very  peril,  from  which  forty  years 
ago  he  had  fled,  was  graciously  removed. 

There  is  now  immediate  obedience  on  the  part  of 
Moses;  and  among  his  preparations  there  is  one 
which  speaks  of  better  things:  "And  Moses  took 
the  rod  of  God  in  his  hand"  (verse  20).  That 
obedience  opens  the  heart's  door  to  consolation. 
Moses  is  now  sustained  by  the  recollection  of  the 


88     Exodus — The  Redeemer — iv.  18 — vi.  12. 

powers  with  which  God  has  endowed  him.  He  is 
to  be  possessed  by  the  consciousness  of  the  fact  that 
he  is  not  the  bearer  of  a  verbal  message  only,  but  is 
also  able  to  display  the  Divine  warrant : 

"  And  Jehovah  said  to  Moses,  In  thy  going  to 
Egypt,  look  upon  all  the  signs  which  I  have  put 
in  thy  hand,  and  thou  shalt  do  them  before 
Pharaoh:  and  I  shall  harden  his  heart,  and  he 
will  not  let  the  people  go"  (verse  21). 

While  resting  in  the  consciousness  of  the  power  with 
which  God  has  entrusted  him,  Moses  is  to  be  prepared 
for  apparent  failure.  It  is  in  God's  plan  that  Pharaoh 
will  resist.  Through  that  resistance  will  come  Egypt's 
punishment  and  Israel's  full  and  enduring  deliver- 
ance. And  now  his  commission  is  repeated.  The 
rod  is  to  be  used  and  the  signs  are  to  be  done  before 
Pharaoh : 

"And  thou  shalt  say  to  Pharaoh,  Thus  hath 
Jehovah  spoken,  Israel  is  My  firstborn  son:  and 
I  have  said  to  thee,  Send  My  son  away,  and  he 
shall  serve  Me:  and  thou  hast  refused  to  send 
him  away,  behold  I  am  slaying  thy  son,  thy 
firstborn  "  (verses  22,  23). 

This  description  of  Israel  as  God's  firstborn  is  note- 
worthy. It  explains  and  suggests  much  to  the  Bible 
student.  The^^'s^born  is  the  type  and  promise  of 
others  who  will  appear  in  due  time.  The  choosing 
and  separation  of  this  nation  was  a  pledge  of  the 
coming  consecration  of  all  nations ;  and  God's  caring 
for,  and  honouring  of,  Israel  was  a  prophecy  of  His 
care  for,  and  honouring  of,  them.    When  we  now  read 


Moses  in  Egypt.  89 

of  God's  seeking  to  slay  Moses,  abrupt  and  thorough 
though  the  transition  seems  to  be,  there  is  still  the 
closest  connection  with  what  has  just  been  said.  The 
mark  of  Israel's  sonship  was  circumcision.     But  for 
some  reason — probably  Zipporah's  antipathy  to  the 
rite — the  younger  son  of  Moses  had  not  been  circum- 
cised. Thus  he,  who  was  going  to  bring  God's  people 
to  Him,  had  discarded  the  token  of  the  Covenant 
between  God  and  them  !     There  was  a  loud  call, 
therefore,  to  mark  here  the  sacredness  and  absolute 
necessity  of  this  initiatory  rite ;  and  so  the  Lord's 
dealing  with  Moses  has  its  record  here.     Zipporah's 
words :  "  A  bloody  husband  art  thou  to  me.  ...  A 
bloody  husband    thou    art  because  of   the   circum- 
cision," have  been  variously  understood.     Gesenius 
and  others  strongly  contend  that  they  were  spoken, 
not  to  Moses,  but  to  the  child  upon  whom  the  rite 
had    just    been    performed.      It   is    supposed   that 
Zipporah's  rneaning  was  that,  by  the  shedding  of 
his  blood,   she    had  purchased    her   child's  life,   so 
that  he  was  hers  now  in  a  fuller  sense  than  before. 
But  it  was'  not  that  life  which  was  threatened ;  and 
the  only  life  that  had  to  be   redeemed  by  an  im- 
mediate obedience  was  that  of  Moses,  to  whom  the 
words  must  have  been  addressed.    Casting  the  child's 
foreskin   at  her  husband's  feet,  she  intimated,  not 
only  that  his  life  was  saved,  but,  also  her  abhorrence 
of  the  necessary  sacrifice.     She  had  purchased  her 
husband ;  but  a  bloody  husband  she  must  ever  after- 
wards esteem  him  to  be.     And  Moses  had  now  to 
proceed  alone  to  Egypt,  for  it  is  plain  that  Zipporah 


go     Elxodus — The  Redeemer — iv.  18 — vi.  12. 

and  his  children  now  returned  to  Midian  (see  xviii.  2). 
The  Revised  Version  has  rendered  Khathan  by 
"bridegroom."  The  word  is  undoubtedly  used  in 
that  sense  throughout  the  Hebrew  Scriptures ;  but 
there  is  no  call  here  to  substitute  that  for  the  more 
ordinary  meaning,  "husband,"  or  "relation  by 
marriage."  To  imagine  that  Zipporah  intended  to 
say  that  she  had  now  entered  upon  a  new  and  closer 
relationship  to  Moses  is  impossible ;  for  even  the 
relationship  which  existed  before  is  for  the  time 
suspended. 

But  God  has  refreshment  in  store  for  His  servant. 
Aaron  is  told  to  arise  and  meet  him  ;  and  the  long- 
sundered  brothers  fall  on  each  other's  necks  at  Sinai 
— a  fitting  place  for  the  tale  which  Moses  has  to  tell 
of  the  coming  deliverance  of  Israel  and  of  the  part 
which  each  of  them  is  to  take  in  it.  And  further 
encouragement  awaits  him.  Moses  and  Aaron  call 
a  meeting  of  the  elders  of  Israel,  and  these  assemble 
the  people.     Aaron  is  the  spokesman. 

"And    Aaron    spoke    all    the    words    which 

Jehovah  had  spoken  to  Moses,  and  he  did  the 

signs  before  the  eyes  of  the  people.     And  the 

people  believed  :  and  when  they  had  heard  that 

Jehovah  had  visited  the  children  of  Israel,  and 

that  He  had  looked  upon  their  oppression,  they 

bowed  down  and  worshipped"  (verses  30,31). 

But  a  different  experience  awaited  them  at   the 

palace  (v.  1-9).  Moses  and  Aaron  present  themselves 

before  Pharaoh,  and  are  at  once  met  with  refusal  and 

insult.     The  "  Divine  "  king  is  not  to  be  terrified  by 


Moses  in  Egypt.  9^ 

such  a  tale  as  theirs,  and  he  scoffs  at  the  God  who 
sent  them.  "  Who  is  Jehovah,  that  I  should  obey 
His  voice  to  let  Israel  go  ?"  It  is  in  vain  that  they 
proceed  to  explain.  They  cannot  be  listened  to. 
They  are  demagogues.  They  are  putting  silly,  and 
indeed  dangerous,  notions  into  the  heads  of  the 
people;  and  the  king  will  put  an  end  to  it.  The 
whole  thing  has  sprung  from  this  people's  inveterate 
laziness.  The  remedy  for  it  is  heavier  toil  and  in- 
creased rigour.  And  so  the  edict  is  issued  that  the 
straw,  which  till  then  had  been  furnished  by  the  State, 
must  now  be  provided  by  the  Israelites  themselves, 
who  must  also  continue  to  make  the  same  number  of 
bricks  as  formerly.  Pharaoh's  command  to  his  over- 
seers ran  : 

"  Make  heavy  the  service  upon  the  men  ;  and 

let  them  toil. at  it,  and  not  listen  to  words  of 

falsehood"  (verse  9). 

The  result  was  grievous.  The  Israelites  were 
scattered  over  the  land  gathering  material  which 
might  be  used  instead  of  the  chopped  straw  which 
they  had  hitherto  employed  in  making,  the  bricks. 
But,  while  occupied  in  that  quest,  they  could  not  be 
present  in  the  clay-fields.  It  was  simply  impossible, 
therefore,  to  have  the  usual  number  of  bricks  waiting 
to  be  counted  and  tested  by  the  Egyptian  overseers. 
That  failure  was  visited  upon  the  Israelitish  officials. 
It  was  assumed  that  they  had  been  too  lenient  with 
the  people ;  and  they  were  subjected  to  the  shame 
and  suffering  of  the  bastinado.  They  went  in  a 
body  to  Pharaoh  to  complain  of  the  injustice. 


92     Exodus — The  Redeemer — iv.  18 — vi.  12. 

"  But  he  said,  Idle  are  ye,  idle:  therefore  do 
ye  keep  on  saying,  Let  us  go :  let  us  sacrifice  to 
Jehovah.  And  now  go,  slave  on;  and  chopped 
straw  shall  not  be  given  you,  and  the  number  of 
bricks  shall  ye  render"  (verses  17,  18). 

As  the  elders  came  forth  from  the  palace,  they  met 
Moses  and  Aaron  on  their  way.  Is  it  to  be  wondered 
at,  knowing  what  we  do  of  poor  human  nature,  that 
their  words  were  those  of  indignant  upbraiding? 
They  had  been  distinctly  warned  that  Pharaoh  would 
aot  listen ;  and  his  refusal,  therefore,  should  not  have 
astonished  them.  But  nothing  had  been  said  about 
the  demand  making  their  case  worse,  and  changing 
slavery  into  torture.  They  did  not  reflect  that  the 
way  to  the  rest  which  God  gives  lies  through  tribula- 
tion ;  and  that  storms  rage  round  the  ark  which 
shelters  the  heirs  of  the  new  time.  But  Moses  goes 
farther  than  they.  He  comes  to  God  with  his  sorrow 
and  theirs. 

"And  Moses  returned  to  Jehovah,  and  said,  O 
Lord,  why  hast  Thou  brought  evil  upon  this 
people?  Why  didst  Thou  send  me  for  this? 
And  from  the  time  I  went  to  Pharaoh  to  speak 
in  Thy  name,  he  hath  brought  evil  upon  this 
people,  and  Thou  hast  certainly  not  delivered 
Thy  people  "  (verses  22,  23). 

Let  it  be  observed  that  it  is  here — at  this  supreme 
crisis — God  spsaks  of  His  new  name  Jehovah.  We 
shall  consider  that  name,  its  proper  pronunciation, 
and  its  meaning,  in  the  following  chapter.  But,  as  a 
step  to  this,  it  is  essential  to  note  the  circumstances 


Moses  in  Egypt.  93 

in  which  the  Divine  communication  is  made, 
vi.  I-I2  closes  this  first  Part  of  Exodus.  The 
opening  verse  of  chapter  vi.  is  the  Divine  reply  to 
the  complaint  with  which  chapter  v.  ends : 

•'And  Jehovah  said  unto  Moses,  Now  wilt 
thou  behold  what  I  shall  do  to  Pharaoh  :  for  by 
a  strong  hand  shall  he  let  them  go,  and  by  a 
strong  hand  shall  he  drive  them  out  of  his 
land  "  (vi.  i). 

Between  these  and  the  next  words  some  time  is 
generally  supposed  to  have  elapsed.  The  foundation 
of  that  opinion  is  no  doubt  the  presence  there  of 
the  word  "God"  (Elohim),  "And  God  spake  unto 
Moses,  and  said  unto  him,"  &c.  That  has  appeared 
to  them  too  formal  to  be  a  mere  continuation  of  the 
words  contained  in  verse  i,  and  it  must,  therefore, 
they  believe,  mark  a  fresh  beginning.  But  to  enter- 
tain that  notion  is  to  lose  sight  of  the  meaning  of 
the  name  Elohim.  It  is  the  plural  of  Eloah, 
"strength,"  and  is  equivalent  to  "almighty."  It 
refers  to  -  God  as  the  Possessor  of  every  form  of 
power,  and  its  use  here  is  highly  significant.  It  is 
an  indication  that  He  Who  has  undertaken  this  task 
of  deliverance  must  and  shall  prevail. 

"And  God  (Elohim)  spake  unto  Moses,  and 
said  unto  him,  I  am  JEHOVAH  :  and  I 
appeared  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob 
as  El  Shaddai,  and  My  name  Jehovah  was  not 
made  known  to  them.  And  I  have  also  estab- 
lished My  covenant  with  them,  to  give  to  them 


94     Exodus — The  Redeemer — iv.  18 — vi.  12. 

the  land  of  Canaan,  the  land  of  their  sojourn- 
ing, where  they  sojourned  "  (verses  2-4). 

The  promise  then  proceeds  to  mention  in  detail 
what  God  will  now  do  in  behalf  of  His  people. 

"  Wherefore  say  to  the  children  of  Israel, 
I  AM  JEHOVAH,  and  I  shall  cause  you  to  go 
out  from  under  the  burdens  of  the  Egyptians, 
and  I  shall  snatch  you  away  from  their  servi- 
tude, and  I  shall  redeem  you  with  a  stretched 
out  arm,  and  with  great  judgments :  and  I  shall 
take  you  to  Me  for  a  people,  and  I  shall  be  to  you 
for  a  God :  and  ye  will  know  that  I  am  Jehovah 
your  God,  who  causeth  you  to  go  forth  from 
under  the  burdens  of  the  Egyptians.  And  I 
shall  bring  you  to  the  land,  which  I  lifted  up  My 
hand  to  give  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob ; 
and  I  shall  give  it  to  you  for  a  heritage :  I  am 
Jehovah"  (verses  6-8). 

Moses  had  thus  received  consolation,  and  Israel 
also  must  be  comforted.  But,  when  Moses  takes 
God's  message  to  them,  they  are  drowned  in  trouble 
and  cannot  listen.  "  They  hearkened  not  unto  Moses 
for  anguish  of  spirit,  and  for  cruel  bondage."  God, 
however,  hastens  to  deliver  them.  He  sends  Moses 
once  again  with  the  demand  for  Israel's  freedom. 
But  the  sorrow  of  the  people,  and  their  refusal  to  listen 
to  his  message,  have  been  too  much  even  for  Moses. 

"And  Moses  spake  before  Jehovah,  saying, 
Behold,  the  children  of  Israel  have  not  listened 
to  me  ;  and  how  will  Pharaoh  listen  to  me,  and 
I  of  uncircumcised  lips  ?" 


The  Jehovah  Name.  95 

And  thus  the  First  Part  of  the  Book  concludes 
with  God's  full  promise  and  with  man's  despair. 
There  could  be  no  more  fitting — and  no  more 
dramatic — introduction  to  the  ever-memorable  record 
which  is  to  follow. 


CHAPTER   VI. 
The    Jehovah    Name. 

THE  statement  that  God  was  not  known  to 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  by  His  name 
Jehovah  constituted  an  ancient  difficulty.  It  may  be 
said  that  this  has  now  become  an  entirely  secondary 
matter  in  view  of  the  new  problems  of  the  critical 
controversy ;  but,  like  other  Scripture  difficulties,  it 
contains  within  it  an  explanation  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  the  Bible  student. 

Before  dealing  with  the  difficulty  referred  to,  we 
must  touch  upon  another  question.  How  was  the 
name  pronounced  ?  The  reader  has  no  doubt  been 
startled  by  the  outlandish  form  "  Yah-weh,"  which 
he  encounters  in  critical  books.  That  is  said  to  be 
the  ancient  and  undoubtedly  correct  pronunciation 
of  the  name.  It  will  be  no  surprise,  to  some  at  least, 
that  for  this  assertion  there  is  nothing  which,  by  any 
stretch  of  imagination,  can  be  called  a  foundation. 
In  Leviticus  xxiv.  we  are  told  of  the  man  whose 
father  was  an  Egyptian,  and  who,  while  struggling 
with  an  IsraeHte,  '*  blasphemed  the  name  of  Jehovah." 


gb     Exodus — The  Redeemer — iv.  18 — vi.  12. 

He  was  put  in  ward  that  "  the  mind  of  Jehovah 
might  be  showed  them."  The  Divine  decision  was 
given  in  the  following  words : 

"  He  that  blasphemeth  the  name  of  Jehovah, 
he  shall  surely  be  put  to  death  ....  as  well  the 
stranger,  as  he  that  is  born  in  the  land,  when  he 
blasphemeth  the  name,  shall  be  put  to  death" 
(verse  i6). 

It  will  be  observed  that  while  the  words,  "  the 
name  of  Jehovah,"  occur  in  the  first  part  of  the 
verse,  in  the  latter  part  we  find  only  "the  n^me." 
This  was  understood  by  the  Jews  to  signify  that  the 
word  "Jehovah"  was  not  to  be  pronounced  upon 
pain  of  death !  It  had  accordingly  become  the 
custom  before  the  time  of  our  Lord  to  avoid  pro- 
nouncing the  word  "Jehovah."  Josephus,  writing 
in  the  first  century  of  our  era,  says  in  his  account  of 
Moses  at  Sinai :  "  Then  God  revealed  to  him  His 
name,  never  before  heard  or  known  by  any  man,  of 
which  I  judge  it  to  be  neither  lawful  nor  right  that  I 
should  speak  "  (Antiq.  ii.  12,  4).  Josephus  was  a 
priest ;  and  he  intimates  here  that,  while  he  knew 
the  name,  it  was  not  lawful  for  him  to  communicate 
it.  That  was  in  the  first  century  of  our  era.  The 
pronunciation  of  the  name,  however,  seems  to  have 
been  known  to  Diodorus  Siculus  in  the  first  century 
B.C.  According  to  him  it  was  composed  of  the  three 
syllables  I-a-o.  That  was  the  traditional  belief. 
Clement  of  Alexandria  pronounces  it  I-a-ou.  Jerome, 
while  mentioning  that  the  Jews  do  not  pronounce  the 
name,  says  it  may  be  read  Ja-ho. 


The  Jehovah   Name.  97 

When  the  vowels  were  introduced  into  the  Hebrew 
text,  it  is  generally  believed  that  with  this  Divine 
name  the  Masorites  associated  the  vowels  of  the 
name  Adonai  (Lord),  so  that  the  readers  might  sub- 
stitute Adonai  for  the  name  which  it  was  not  lawful  to 
pronounce.  There  is  one  difficulty  in  accepting  that 
statement.  The  first  vowel  in  "Jehovah"  is  "  e," 
whereas  the  first  in  "  Adonai  "  is  "  a."  But  it  is  un- 
deniable that,  where  the  compound  name  Jehovah- 
Adonai  is  found  in  the  Hebrew  text,  the  vowels  then 
supplied  to  Jehovah  are  those  of  Elohim.  This 
seems  to  show  that  Adonai  was  meant  usually  to  be 
read  instead  of  Jehovah.  Gesenius  was  of  opinion 
that  the  real  pronunciation  was  "  Yah-veh."  But 
Delitzsch  pointed  out  that  this  violated  the  rules  of 
Hebrew  grammar.  He  himself  suggested  the  reading 
Ya-ha-vah.  The  reader  will  gather  from  this  what 
slender  ground  there  is  for  the  critical  pronunciation. 
It  seems  impossible  also  to  exclude  the  "  o"  sound  from 
any  correct  pronunciation  of  the  name.  As  we  have 
seen,  Diodorus  includes  that  sound;  and  we  have 
still  earlier  testimony  in  Old  Testament  names.  We 
meet,  for  instance,  with  Jeho-nathan,  "  Jehovah-has- 
given  ■' ;  Jeho-zadak,  "  Jehovah-has-justified  "  ;  Jelw- 
ram,  "  Jehovah-has-exalted,"  &c.,  &c.  This  makes  it 
plain  that  any  pronunciation  which  excludes  the  "o" 
sound  can  not  be  correct,  and  that  the  ordinary  pro- 
nunciation Ye-ho-vah,  or  Jehovah,  may  confidently 
be  retained  as  nearer  than  any  other  which  has  yet 
been  proposed.  Another  fact  tells  still  more  heavily 
against  the  reading  adopted  by  the  higher  critics. 


98      Exodus — The  Redeemer — iv.  18 — vi.  12. 

They  make  the  name  to  consist  of  two  syllables 
only.  It  is  now  proved,  however,  that  the  fuller  and 
more  usual  form  of  the  name  consisted  of  three 
syllables.  Dr.  Pinches  found  a  number  of  names  of 
Jews  upon  Babylonian  contract  tablets.  Into  many 
of  these  this  Divine  name  enters  under  the  form 
Ya(h)-a-va(h).*  The  name  was,  therefore,  one  of 
three  syllables,  as  it  still  is  in  the  pronunciation 
which  the  critics  would  displace. 

We  now  return  to  that  other  question,  which  is 
of  infinitely  greater  importance  in  view  of  the  con- 
stant use  of  this  Divine  name  in  the  Old  Testament. 
What  does  the  word  mean  ?  And  with  what  special 
message  was  it  charged  at  this  crisis  of  Israelitish 
history?  It  is  plainly  derived  from  an  old  form  of 
the  Hebrew  verb  **  to  be."  The  later  form  of  that 
word,  ha-yah,  was  already  in  use  in  the  time  of 
Moses;  but  the  ancient  Hebrew  word  appears  to 
have  had  the  form  ha-vah,  which  the  Aramean  and 
the  Syriac  have  retained.  The  word  Ye-ho-vah  con- 
sequently belonged  to  the  time  previous  to  the 
separation  of  these  kindred  races.  This  conclusion 
is  borne  out  by  recent  Eastern  research.  Delitzsch 
has  shown  that  the  name  is  older  than  Abraham, 
being  found  in  Babylonian  inscriptions,  under  the 
form  Ya-a-we(or  va),  not  later  than  2000  B.c.t 
Taking  the  name,  then,  as  derived  from  the  ancient 
'form  of  the  verb  "  to  be  "  we  repeat  our.  question  as 
to  its  meaning.     Gesenius  and  Reuss  believe  that  it 

*  Sayce,  The  Higher  Criticism  versus  the  Monuments,  p.  87. 
\  Babel  and  liibte,  p.  71,  etc. 


The  Jehovah  Name.  99 

is  the  future  of  the  Hiphil,  or  causative,  conjugation. 
This  gives  as  its  meaning  :  "  He  shall  cause  it  to  be," 
or  "  He  shall  cause  it  to  come  to  pass."  Dr. 
Robertson  Smith  also  accepts  this  causative  sense.* 
Let  it  be  remembered  that  these  names  Jehovah  and 
Elohim,  which  are  necessarily  so  strange  to  us,  were 
transparently  clear  to  the  Israelites.  They  were 
Hebrew  words,  and  their  meaning  was  seen  at  once. 
Could  there,  then,  have  been  a  more  appropriate 
name  for  God  as  the  fulfiller  of  His  covenant  with 
the  Fathers  and  of  the  promise  now  solemnly  given 
to  these  their  children  ?  To  name  God  as  "  He  who 
shall  cause  it  to  come  to  pass  "  sustained  the  des- 
pairing, and  swept  away  every  fear  inspired  by  the 
power  and  the  determined  vindictiveness  of  Egypt. 

But  we  may  be  reminded  that  the  Scripture  has 
here  assured  us  that  God  was  not  known  by  this 
name  in  preceding  generations,  and  that  we  have 
just  shown  that  the  name  was  known  and  used  in 
and  before  those  very  times.  The  latter  fact  can 
not  be  doubted ;  but,  instead  of  proving  to  be  a 
difficulty,  it  affords  the  very  guidance  which  we  here 
need.  The  name  had  been  known  and  used — that  is 
proved  by  its  presence  in  Genesis  and  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapters  of  Exodus ;  but  it  was  now  to  have 
an  illustration  for  which  the  ages  had  been  waiting, 
and  to  which  after  times  woqld  ever  look  back.  If 
anyone,  who  had  helped  us  in  the  past,  were  to  say, 
in  view  of  a  promise  he  was  giving  of  fresh  assist- 
ance :  **  As  a  helper  you  have  never  yet  known  me ;. 

*  The  Old  Testament  in  the  Jewish  Church,  p.  423. 


TOO    Elxodus — The  Redeemer — iv.  18 — xi.  12. 

but  you  will  know  now  that  I  am  worthy  of  the 
name,"  what  should  we  conclude  ?  It  would  certainly 
never  occur  to  anjone  to  sit  down  and  say :  "  What 
C4in  this  mean  ?  How  can  he  say  '3'ou  have  never 
yet  known  me  as  a  helper/  when  no  one  has 
ever  helped  me  so  much  ?  "  That  past  help  would 
lire  the  soul  with  expectation.  We  should  at  once 
conclude  that  the  coming  assistance  would  be  of  so 
extraordinarj-  a  character  that  it  would  put  all  pre- 
vious help  in  the  shade.  Treat  this  promise  in  the 
same  fashion,  and  its  meaning  will  be  eN-ident.  God 
was  about  to  arise  and  to  so  gloriously  fulfil  His 
promises,  that  all  previous  fulfilments  would  be 
utterly  insignificant  as  compared  with  this,  and  the 
faithfulness  of  God  would  shine  out  with  a  glory  that 
no  after  time  would  dim. 

And  that  is  what  actually  happened.  The  Exodus, 
the  wilderness  journey,  the  conquest  of  Canaan,  have 
manifested  God  as  the  Fulfiller  of  His  Covenant. 
The  Jew  looks  back  to  that  revelation  to-day,  just  as 
the  persecuted  Church  of  God  has  looked  back  to  it 
in  ever}'  time  of  trouble.  God  kindled  a  beacon 
light  there  that  has  thrown  its  brightness  down 
through  the  ages.  And  there  is  nothing,  in  all  the 
aces  which  preceded  the  Exodus,  from  which  such 
Hght  has  come.  They  had  not  known  what  glory 
lay  under  this  name  Jehovah,  "  He-shall-cause-it-to- 
come-to-pass."  It  will  be  seen,  too,  that  this  meaning 
explains  a  use  of  that  Divine  name  which  is  of  great 
frequency  in  the  Old  Testament.  If  the  reader  will 
look  at  vi.  S,  he  will  obser\'e  that  the  assurance  of 


The  Jehovah  Name  lOI 

full  deliverance  and  of  settlement  in  Canaan  is  closed 
with  one  brief  sentence.  In  the  original  it  is  briefer 
still,  seeing  that  it  consists  of  two  words  only : 
Ani  YeJiovah,  "I  (am)  Jehovah."  This  sentence 
occurs  again  and  again  at  the  conclusion  of  Divine 
promises  or  threatenings.  But  how  is  it  that  it  can 
form  a  fitting,  and,  indeed,  impressive,  conclusion  to 
these  ?  Substitute  the  meaning,  which  was  then 
plain  to  every  Hebrew  reader,  and  its  fitness  is 
immediately  apparent :  "  I  am  He  who  shall  cause  it 
to  come  to  pass."  That  is  God's  name ;  its  repeti- 
tion is,  therefore,  God's  fullest  pledge  chat  promises 
or  threatenmgs  will  find  their  accomplishment. 


PART  II. 
THE  REDEMPTIVE  WORK. 

VI.  13-XIL  39. 


CHAPTER    I. 
VI.  13— VII.  7. 

Jehovah's  Ambassadors. 

THE  first  Part— the  Story  of  the  Redeemer  of 
God's  people — closes,  as  we  have  seen,  with  a 
question  which  expresses  the  despair  of  Moses  (vi.  12). 
And  now,  before  we  are  told  how  that  despair  is 
changed  into  triumph,  we  are  reminded  that  God 
had  invested  these  two  men,  Moses  and  Aaron,  with 
Divine  authority.  Their  standing  in  Israel  is  made 
known ;  the  terms  of  their  appointment  are  again 
Sit  forth;  and  the  question  of  Moses  is  shown  to  have 
had  its  answer  already  (vii.  i).  We  are  reminded 
that  it  was  foretold  from  the  first  that  Pharaoh  would 
refuse  the  Divine  demand,  and  that  the  refusal  was 
part  of  God's  plan  for  Israel's  full  deliverance. 
Finally,  the  triumph  of  this  embassy  is  assured. 

From  the  want  of  a  due  regard  to  the  tenses  in 
our  translation,  the  connection  has  been  obscured, 
and  an  appearance  of  repetition  and  lack- of  connec- 
tion has  been  given  to  the  section  which  have  veiled 


Jehovah's  Ambassadors.  103 

its  meaning  and  importance.  Instead  of  rendering 
vi.  13  :  "  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto 
Aaron,"  translate:  "And  Jehovah  had  spoken," 
etc.,  and  the  meaning  is  clear.  This  is  not  a  new 
communication  to  Moses  and  Aaron,  but  a  reminder 
to  the  readers  of  the  narrative  of  the  appointment 
which  God  had  already  made : 

"And  Jehovah  had  spoken  unto  Moses  and 
Aaron,  and  had  commissioned  them  to  the 
children  of  Israel,  and  to  Pharaoh,  King  of 
Egypt,  to  bring  forth  the  children  of  Israel  from 
the  land  of  Egypt"  (vi.  13). 

We  now  learn  that  in  this  appointment  there  had 
been  a  distinct  and  solemn  act  of  Divine  selection. 
Three  tribes  were  passed  in  review  so  that  God 
might  take  from  then:i  a  deliverer  for  His  people. 
"The  sons  of  Reuben,  the  first-born  of  Israel,"  are 
enumerated;  but  the  choice  does  not  rest  upon  any 
of  their  houses.  Simeon,  the  second  eldest,  is  taken  ; 
and  there  is  a  like  result.  The  redeemer  is  not  found 
there.  Levi  is  next  in  order  ;  and  here,  at  last,  the 
choice  is  made.  The  descent  of  Moses  and  Aaron 
is  recorded,  and  a  full  account  is  given  of  the 
family  of  him  whose  descendants  were  to  be  the 
priests  of  Israel  until  its  altar  should  be  destroyed  in 
the  presence  of  Calvary.  As  Moses  was  not  to 
hand  on  his  office  to  any  descendant  of  his,  his 
children  are  not  named.     The  list  concludes: 

"  This  is  that  Aaron  and  Moses  whom  Jehovah 
commanded  to  bring  forth  the  children  of 
Israel  from  the  land  of  Egypt  by  their  armies. 


I04  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vi.  1 3 — vii.  7. 

They  were  the  speakers  to  Pharaoh,  King  of 
Egypt,  to  bring  forth  the  children  of  Israel  from 
the  Egyptians— this  Moses  and  Aaron  "  (verses 

26,  27). 

It  is  plainly  the  purpose  of  these  words  to  empha- 
sise the  fact  that  these  beaten  men,  now  rejected  by 
Pharaoh  in  his  pride,  and  by  the  Israelites  in  their 
anguish,  are  nevertheless  there  by  Divine  appoint- 
ment. What  more  appropriate  introduction  could 
there  be  to  the  story  of  the  triumphs  which  is  now 
to  follow  ? 

Only  three  tribes,  as  we  have  just  seen,  are  men- 
tioned, Reuben,  Simeon,  and  Levi,  the  three  eldest 
sons  of  Jacob.  It  may  be  that,  when  we  have  said 
that  these  are  taken  m  their  natural  order,  we  have 
noted  all  that  has  any  significance.  That  may  be 
true ;  but  one  cannot  help  recalling  also  that  ovei 
all  those  three  tribes  shadows  rested.  When  Jacob 
summoned  his  sons,  saying :  "  Gather  yourselves 
together,  that  I  may  tell  you  that  which  will  befall 
you  in  the  last  days";  he  said  of  Reuben:  "Un- 
stable as  water,  thou  shalt  not  excel."  In  the  word 
regarding  Simeon  and  Levi  the  outlook  was  still 
darker.  "  O  my  soul,"  exclaimed  the  patriarch, 
•'  come  not  thou  into  their  secret ;  unto  their 
assembly,  mine  honour,  be  not  thou  united."  He 
ended  with  the  sentence :  "  I  will  divide  them  in 
Jacob,  and  scatter  them  in  Israel"  (Gen.  xlix.  1-7). 
It  may  be  that  these  three  tribes  were  now  having 
another  opportunity.  The  Lord  is  looking  for  a 
deliverer  for  His  people,  and  He  passes  through  these 


Jehovah's  Ambassadors.  105 

to  find  one  man  after  His  own  heart  who  will  prove  to 
be  a  Shepherd  of  Israel,  and  another  to  whom  and 
to  whose  descendants  that  priesthood  might  be  com- 
mitted which  was  to  endure  for  ages.  Peoples  and 
families  have  been  honoured  and  blessed  by  some 
such  life,  which  with  holy  fear  and  with  God's  great 
endowment  has  so  served  its  generation.  Reuben 
has  no  such  man,  nor  has  Simeon.  But  Levi  has 
its  Moses  and  Aaron ;  and,  though  that  doom  of  dis- 
persion in  Israel  is  not  revoked,  it  is  associated  with 
the  grandest  service  and  with  the  highest  honour 
which  are  to  be  reached  among  the  people  of  God. 
The  curse  has  been  changed  into  a  blessing. 

We  are  now  led  back  to  the  point  at  which  the 
narrative  stopped  : 

"  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  day  of  Jehovah's 
speaking  to  Moses  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
(when)  Jehovah  had  spoken  to  Moses,  saying,  I 
am  Jehovah':  speak  to  Pharaoh,  King  of  Egypt, 
all  that  I  am  speaking  to  thee,  that  Moses  said 
before  Jehovah,  Behold,  I  am  of  uncircumcised 
lips,  and  Pharaoh  will  not  listen  to  me  "  (verses 
28-30). 

It  is  a  most  unfortunate  division  which  makes 
these  verses  close  chaper  vi.  The  opening  words  of 
chapter  vii.  have  the  closest  connection  with  that 
reply  of  Moses  to  which  our  attention  is  thus  again 
directed : 

"And  Jehovah  said  to  "Moses,  See,  I  have 
made  thee  a  god  to  Pharaoh:  and  Aaron  thy 
brother  shall  be  thy  prophet"  (vii.  i). 


io6  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vi.  1 3 — vii.  7. 

He  is  told  again  that  Pharaoh  will  not  hearken, 
but  that  this  refusal  will  ensure  the  punishment  of 
Egypt,  and  lead  to  a  mightier  deliverance  for  Israel 
(verses  2-5).  This  introduction  to  Part  II.  ends 
with  the  record  of  a  full  obedience : 

"  And  Moses  and  Aaron  did  according  as 
Jehovah  commanded  them  ;  thus  they  did.  And 
Moses  was  eighty  years  old,  and  Aaron  was 
eighty-three  years  old,  when  they  spake  unto 
Pharaoh  "  (verses  6,  7). 

Here  on  the  one  hand,  the  feebleness  of  those  aged 
and  worn  men,  on  the  other  hand  their  unfaltering 
trust  and  complete  obedience,  are  set  before  us. 
These  last  were  the  foundation  of  their  greatness ; 
for  they  made  a  place  where  God  could  reveal  His 
power  and  glory.  May  not  the  question  once  more 
be  asked,  whether  any  fitter  introduction  could  be 
conceived  for  the  marvels  that  are  to  follow  ? 


CHAPTER    II. 

Proposed   Divisions  of  the  Section  ;    and  the 

Light  which  they  Shed  upon  Critical 

.Results. 


IT  is  instructive  to  compare  the  dissections  which 
the  critics  have  made  from  time  to  time  of  the 
verses  which  we  have  just  considered.     Dr.  Driver, 


Critical  Divisions  of   the  Section.  107 

writing  for  a  public  somewhat  intolerant  of  nonsense, 
gives  us  a  refreshingly  simple  account  of  the  matter. 
The  whole  of  vi.  2 — vii.  13  is  assigned  to  P,  that  is, 
to  the  Priestly  writer,  who,  they  tell  us,  forged  a 
history  for  the  Pentateuchal  laws.  But  P,  it  is  now 
found,  was  not  one  writer,  but  several!  The  original 
P  had  finished  his  work  some  short  time  before 
Ezra  read  the  Law  to  the  returned  Israelites  in 
444  B.C.  But,  we  are  now  informed,  there  were 
later  additions  in  P's  style,  the  authors  of  which 
modified  his  work  and  added  to  it  as  seemed  to  them 
good.  How  such  fresh  editions  managed  to  oust  the 
older  ones,  and  how  the  older  copies  were  snatched 
away  and  the  new  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  priests 
without  protest  or  complaint,  and  without  a  whisper 
having  reached  posterity  regarding  these  tremendous 
changes  in  books  venerated  at  that  very  time  as  the 
Word  of  God,  no  critic  has  yet  ventured  to  explain. 
But,  when  explanations  are  entered  upon,  something 
will  have  to"  be  said  upon  a  still  more  formidable 
question.  How  did  it  happen  that  their  entire  work 
was  embojdied  in  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch  300 
years  before  the  Ps  began  their  highly  question- 
able careers  ? 

But  we  have  to  do  now  with  the  critical  analysis. 
Knobel  (1861)  distributes  the  forty-two  verses  con- 
tained in  Exodus  vi.  2 — vii.  13,  as  follows  : — 
Grundschrift.  •  Kriegsbuch. 

VI.  2—7. 

VI.  8. 
„   9—30. 
VII.   I  — 13. 


io8  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vi.  1 3 — vii,  7. 

The  two  documents,  or  "sources,"  named  on  page  107, 
are  no  doubt  strange  to  many  of  my  readers ;  for 
fashions  in  criticism,  with  all  their  "  assured  results," 
soon  grow  old.  Let  me  then  explain.  The  gytmd- 
schrift  was  the  great  foundation  document  upon 
which  all  the  rest  of  the  Pentateuch  was  said  to  b 
built.  But,  it  will  be  asked,  have  you  not  told  i. 
that  those  very  passages,  here  said  by  Knobel  to  be 
among  the  very  earliest,  are  said  by  Dr.  Driver  to  be 
among  the  very  latest  of  the  Pentateuch  ?  My  reply 
is  that  that  is  an  exact  statement  of  the  case.  The 
most  assured  results  of  this  so-called  science  have 
been  revolutionised  in  that  very  way.  What  were 
the  first  are  now  the  last !  A  like  story  hangs  upon 
that  second  term,  Kriegsbuch,  or  "war-book."  It 
has  now  utterly  disappeared,  and  even  the  term  is  no 
longer  found  in  the  critical  vocabulary.  Poor  Knobel, 
once  among  the  greatest  names,  is  now,  in  critical 
opinion,  as  hopelessly  antiquated  as  the  simplest 
Bible  believer.  But  he  has  his  consolation.  There 
are  other  reputations,  crumbling  even  now,  that  will 
soon  be  as  lowly  as  his  own. 

The  first  readers  of  Addis  on  The  Documents 
of  the  Hexaieuch  had  a  singular  experience.  In  his 
first  volume  (published  in  1892)  the  entire  passage 
had  disappeared.  In  the  new  critical  Exodus  there 
was  no  vi.  2 — vii.  13.  After  vi.  i,  there  were  four 
dots,  to  indicate  that  something  had  disappeared, 
and  then  followed  vii.  14,  etc.  The  reader  had  to  wait 
six  years  to  learn  whither  those  forty-two  verses  had 
gone.     When  vol.  ii.  appeared  in  i8g8,  the  mystery 


Critical  Divisions  of  the  Section.  109 

was  solved.  The  reader  then  discovered  the  missing 
portion,  and  found  that  it  had  been  omitted  from 
the  earlier  part  because  it  was  said  to  belong  to 
a  much  later  period.  But  he  was  also  informed  that 
this  "priestly"  portion  was  not  quite  as  simple  as 
Dr.  Driver  had  meanwhile  been  assuring  him  that  it 
was.*  The  section  was  printed  in  two  sorts  of  type, 
vi.  2-12  and  vii.  1-13  being  in  ordinary  characters, 
and  vi.  13-30  appearing  in  italics.  The  meaning  of 
this,  he  was  informed,  was  that,  in  the  heart  of  this 
late  portion,  there  was  a  still  later  !  Nor  was  this 
all.  On  turning  back  to  Mr.  Addis's  explanations, 
he  learned  that  the  "  ascertained  results,"  of  which 
he  had  heard  so  much,  were  not  yet  quite  ascertained. 
He  was  told  that  the  portions  in  italics  were  "  later 
amplifications  of  the  Priestly  Document ;  "  and  of 
these  he  read  :  "  They  are  by  several  hands  and  of 
various  dates.  .'  .  .  Nor  can  they  always  be  distin- 
guished from  additions  made  by  the  final  compiler 
and  editor  o-f  the  Hexateuch,  which  are  printed  in  the 
same  type"\ 

The  very  latest  "  results  "  are  even  less  "  assured  " 
than  the  earlier.  The  critics,  when  last  heard  from, 
were  still  wrestling  with  the  question  of  the  author- 
ship  of  those  verses.      Holzinger    (1900)    arranges 

them  thus  : 

Ps  R. 

VI.  2—12 

[.  .  .  .  14''— 16» 
...  16*  14  VI.  26,  28—30. 

U:z^^l:_ ' 

*  JntroJuctwit.  t  Volume  ii.,  p.  192. 


no  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vi.  1 3 — vii.  7. 

Pe  R. 

VII.  1—5.     VI.  13? 
„      6-7. 
„      8-13. 

In  the  second  column,  assigned  to  R  (editorial 
additions),  there  are  no  fewer  than  five  question 
marks,  eloquent  of  Holzinger's  embarrassment. 
Baentsch  (1903)  is  still  more  elaborate  : — 

P.  Rp.  Ps. 


VI.  2-5. 


VI.  6—8. 

13- 

,,  26 — 30. 


VI.  14—25. 


VII.  I— 13. 

I  shall  spare  the  reader  any  farther  explanations 
and  comments.  The  above  tables  are  proof  enough  of 
the  uncertainty  of  those  so-called  "assured  results." 
But,  it  may  be  asked,  what  lies  behind  this  unresting 
effort  to  tear  the  Bible  to  pieces?  Upon  what  does 
the  analysis  of  the  narrative  proceed  ?  The  reader 
will  judge.  There  is  first  of  all  the  well-worn  plea 
of  repetition.  But  if  we  are  to  tear  out  the  passages 
in  books  which  repeat,  or  seem  to  repeat,  what  was 
said  before;  and  if  on  that  account  we  are  to  attribute 
the  repetition  to  a  different  author,  what  book  is 
safe  that  has  ever  seen  the  light  ?  One  trembles 
even  for  the  critics,  should  a  canon  of  that  kind  ever 
achieve  a  settled  place  in  literature.  At  present, 
however,  there  is  no  law  against  an  author  repeating 
himself;  and  certainly  there  is  no  necessity  that  in 
case  of  repetition  the  author  shall  be  deprived  of  his 


Critical  Divisions  of  the  Section.  ill 

identity  and  be  thenceforth  spoken  of  as  J,  E,  D,  P, 
Pg,  or  Ps. 

It  may  be  well  to  note  what  is  said  by  an  earlier 
writer  regarding  the  critical  reasons  for  assigning  the 
Book  to  various  writers.  The  analysis  of  the  Penta- 
teuch was  then  comparatively  new,  and  more  care 
was  taken  to  display  the  reasons  for  the  critical 
belief.     One  example  will  suffice. 

Bleek  (Berlin,  1865)  contends  that  "the  genealogy 
of  Moses  and  Aaron  (chapter  vi.  14-27),  particularly 
as  it  there  runs,  is  put  in  a  very  unfit  and  unnatural 
place."*  He  thinks  that  in  the  original  document 
this  genealogy  in  a  fuller  form  stood  "  quite  at  the 
beginning  of  the  history  of  this  time."  The  assump- 
tion in  this  is  marvellous.  It  is  quite  possible  for  a 
man  to  imagine  that  something  in  a  document  might 
be  better  placed;  but  who  would  leap  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  must  have  been  so  placed  ?  The  sugges- 
tion is  eminently  absurd  ;  but,  nevertheless,  that  is 
the  sole  justification  for  cutting  out  the  portion  and 
assigning  it  to  a  different  writer !  The  objection  is 
also  eloquent  of  that  fatal  lack  of  sympathetic  intel- 
ligence vyhich  the  higher  criticism  has  displayed  from 
the  beginning.  So  far  from  the  genealogy  of  Moses 
and  Aaron  being  placed  in  an  "  unfit  and  unnatural 
place,"  no  fitter  place  could  possibly  be  found  for  it 
than  in  this  account  of  the  solemn  confirmation  of 
their  appointment  as  the  ambassadors  of  Jehovah. 

*  Introduction,  f  114. 


112  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vi.  13 — vii.  7. 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  Supernatural,  and  its  Relation  to 
Egyptian  Magic. 

WE  are  now  to  follow  the  record  which  tells 
how  God,  by  a  succession  of  stupendous 
miracles,  effected  the  dehverance  of  Israel.  There 
is  a  marvellous  consistency  in  Bible  representations 
of  the  Divine  method,  which  cannot  be  explained  if 
its  Books  were  the  product  of  varying  human 
thought ;  and  which  will,  therefore,  carry  the  con- 
viction to  many  minds  that  the  Scriptures  have  had 
the  origin  which  they  claim.  It  is  in  this  very 
fashion — we  read  in  Revelation,  and  in  other  New 
Testament  predictions,  as  well  as  in  Old  Testament 
prophecies — that  God  will,  in  the  end  of  the  days,  save 
His  persecuted  people,  and  establish  them  in  their 
own  land.  He  will  judge  the  nations  and  overwhelm 
the  persecutors.  And  this  will  be  done,  not  by  human 
instrumentality,  or  in  what  might  seem  to  be  the 
ordinary  course  of  Nature.  It  will  be  such  a  manifest 
intervention  of  the  mighty  and  just  God  that  the 
peoples  of  the  earth  will  at  last  realise  that  this  con- 
troversy is  between  them  and  Him ;  and  Israel's 
claim  to  be  His  people  will  be  vindicated  as  tri- 
umphantly then  as  it  was  in  Egypt  of  old.  Further, 
limiting  our  view  to  the  fact  that  God  was  now 
establishing  a  true  faith  in  the  very  heart  of  the  world's 
idolatries,    and     recalling   how    that    "new   thing," 


The  Supernatural  and  Egyptian  Magic.    113 

the  establishment  of  the  Christian  Church,  was 
e  ffected,  we  are  struck  by  the  similarity  of  the  Divin 
procedure.  The  Israelitish  religion  was  inaugurated 
with  such  a  revelation  of  God's  existence,  almighty 
power,  and  absorbing  interest  in  His  people,  as 
kept  faith  alive  in  Israel  for  fifteen  centuries,  and  has 
preserved  it  for  well-nigh  twenty  more  in  the  face  of 
seeming  desertion  and  apparently  unanswered  prayer. 
And,  in  exactly  similar  fashion,  was  the  Gospel  era 
introduced.  It  was  founded  in  a  manifestation  of 
God  which  has  been  like  a  wall  of  fire  around  it  ever 
since.  No  man  can  look  on  Christ  and  not  see  there 
also  the  revelation  of  God's  existence,  power,  and 
absorbing  interest  in  His  Church,  and  in  the  work  of 
salvation  which  has  been  committed  to  it. 

If  anyone  asks  whether  a  miracle  is  possible,  and 
whether  it  is  true  that  the  Law  and  the  Gospel  have 
been  thus  attested  by  supernatural  signs,  one  fact 
presents  a  sufficient  answer  to  both  questions.  I 
refer  to  the  undoubted  predictions  of  the  Bible. 
These  are  miracles  of  foresight,  which  demonstrate 
overwhelmingly  that  the  supernatural  exists,  and 
that  God  has  actually  manifested  Himself  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Bible  and  the  work  which  the  Bible 
has  inspired.  But  there  is  a  further  fact,  the  mention 
of  which  causes  uneasiness  to  many.  The  Bible 
testifies  that  the  evidence  of  the  supernatural  is  not 
confined  to  Divine  acts.  No  one  can  read  the  narra- 
tive, upon  the  study  of  which  we  are  now  entering, 
without  seeing  that  the  wonders  worked  by  the 
magicians  of  Egypt  are  accepted  as  genuine.    "  They 


114  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vi.  1 3 — vii.  7. 

also  did  in  like  manner  with  their  enchantments. 
For  they  cast  down  every  man  his  rod,  and  they 
became  serpents "  (Exodus  vii.  ii,  12),  &c.  The 
witch  of  Endor  was  apparently  possessed  of  some 
occult  power.  Such  power  would  appear  also  to 
have  been  in  the  possession  of  Simon  of  Samaria ; 
for  we  are  not  told  that  he  had  gained  his  influence 
over  the  people  by  imposition,  but  that  he  "  used 
sorcery,"  and  had  "bewitched  the  people  of 
Samaria";  that  is,  he  had  genuinely  "  astonished  " 
them.  The  damsel  of  Philippi  was  possessed  by  a 
?pirit  of  divination,  and  her  power  left  her  when  the 
spirit  was  cast  out  of  her.  Our  Lord  also  admitted 
that  the  sons  of  the  Pharisees  were  able,  in  certain 
cases  at  least,  to  cast  out  demons,  and  we  are  re- 
minded that  our  own  conflict  is  not  with  flesh  and 
blood,  but  that  "we  wrestle against  princi- 
palities, against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the 
darkness  of  this  world,  against  spiritual  wickedness 
in  high  places"  (Ephesians  vi.  12). 

This  may  possibly  be  set  down  as  a  proof  that  the 
Bible  has  not  escaped  the  superstitions  of  the  times 
in  which  it  was  written.  That,  however,  is  a  con- 
clusion which  those  times  distinctly  repudiate,  and 
which  would  show  singular  ignorance  of  the  huge 
debt  which  the  modern  world  owes  to  the  Bible. 
The  times  in  which  the  Bible  was  written  were 
immersed  in  the  grossest  superstition.  Magic  and 
sorcery  flourished  with  special  luxuriance  in  all 
Eastern  lands.  Omens  were  constantly  watched  for, 
and   charms  were   eagerly  purchased  and  devoutly 


The  Supernatural  and  Egyptian  Magic.    115 

trusted  in.  The  Bible  stands  apart  from  all  this 
with  a  complete  severance,  with  a  calm  trust  in  God, 
and  with  an  absolute  serenity,  which  its  Divine  in- 
spiration alone  can  explain.  And  it  is  to  the  Bible 
only  that  the  nations  owe  their  freedom  from  that 
terror  of  the  unseen  which  weighed  upon  the  ancient 
world. 

To  two  points  I  briefly  address  myself.  First, 
What  was  the  place  of  magic  in  ancient  Egypt  ? 
Did  it  have  that  national  acknowledgment,  and  enjoy 
the  royal  patronage,  which  the  Scripture  here  implies 
that  it  did  ?  To  this  there  is  but  one  reply.  In  the 
picture  of  that  court-scene,  Exodus  shows  us  the 
Egypt  of  the  time.  "A  study,"  writes  Budge,  "of 
the  remains  of  the  native  religious  literature  of 
ancient  Egypt,  which  has  come  down  to  us,  has 
revealed  the  fact  that  the  belief  in  magic,  that  is  to 
say,  in  the  power  of  magical  names,  and  spells,  and 
enchantments,  and  formulae,  and  pictures,  and 
figures,  and  amulets,  and  in  the  performance  of 
ceremonies  accompanied  by  the  utterance  of  words 
of  power,  to  produce  supernatural  results,  formed  a 
large  and  important  part  of  the  Egyptian  religion."  * 
After  a  reference  to  the  miracles  of  Moses,  the  same 
writer  says :  "  It  is  quite  certain  that  every  Egyptian 
magician  believed  that  he  could  perform  things 
equally  marvellous  by  merely  uttering  the  names  of 
his  gods,  or  through  the  words  of  power  which  he 
had  learned  to  recite."  t  This  throws  light  upon 
the  judging  of  the  gods  of  Egypt,  so  frequently  re- 

*  Egyptian  Magic,  p  J.  f  Page  6. 


1 16  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work  — vi.  1 3 — vii.  7. 

ferred  to  as  being  brought  about  through  the  miracles 
of  Moses.    The  might  of  Jehovah's  power  confronted 
that  display  of  power,  on  account  of  which  the  gods 
of  Egypt  were  revered  and  trusted.    Egyptian  litera- 
ture contains  many  a  story  of  the  marvels  believed 
to  have  been  accomplished  by  the  priestly  magic.    A 
curious  indication  of  the  place  held  by  the  priest- 
magician    at  the   Egyptian  court  is   supplied   by  a 
statuette  now  in  the  Brighton  Museum.     It  repre- 
sents a  squatting  figure  of  a  man,  and  the  inscription 
upon  it  informs  us  that  the  person  so  represented 
is    no   other   than    "  Min-Mes,  Chief    Magician    to 
Rameses  II."     In  the  list  of  his  titles  we  find  these  : 
"  The  Royal  Scribe  ;  the  Chief  Magician  of  the  Lord 
of  the  two  Lands" — that  is,  of  Pharaoh,  Lord  of 
Southern  and  Northern  Egypt — "  the  High-priest  of 
Anheru,  Min-Mes."*     "Absurd  as  the  pretensions  of 
the  magicians    may  seem,"    says  Wiedemann,   our 
greatest  authority  on  the  Religion  of  Egypt,  "  the 
multitude   thoroughly  believed   in  them,  and  great 
was  the  fear  of  sorcerers  and  of  sorcery.     In  Egypt 
magical  doctrines  were  not  mere  popular  supersti- 
tions ;    they  were  part  of  the  religion  of  the  land, 
which  was  largely  based  on  magic,  and  always  in- 
timately connected  with  it."  t     It  was  consequently 
inevitable  that,  when  Moses  and  Aaron  wrought  their 
wonders  before  Pharaoh,  the  kmg  shonld  summon 
his  magicians,  and  that  their  powers  should  be  dis- 
played. 

'  Arthur  E.  Weigall,  Proceedings,  Society  of  Biblical  Archeeology,  xxiii.,p.  13. 
\Relif;inn  of  the  Ancient  Egyptians,  ch.  x 


The  Supernatural  and  Egyptian  Magic.    117 

There  is  a  second,  and  equally  important,  question. 
Was  their  supposed  power  a  delusion  ?  The  general 
attitude  of  modern  thought  is  distinctly  opposed,  not 
only  to  belief  in  magic,  but  even  to  any  recognition 
of  the  supernatural.  It  is  the  more  striking,  there- 
fore, that  in  these  days  of  scepticism  there  should  be 
so  marked  and  influential  a  revival  of  spiritualism, 
and  that,  in  respect  to  the  genuineness  of  spiritual- 
istic phenomena,  scientific  opinion  should  be  divided. 
That  there  has  been,  in  connection  with  those  claims 
to  converse  with  the  unseen,  a  vast  amount  of  super- 
stition and  of  imposture  in  both  modern  and  ancient 
times,  no  one  will  deny ;  but  many  of  those  who  are 
acquainted  with  the  facts  find  themselves  unable  to 
resist  the  conviction  that  there  is  more  in  such 
phenomena  than  the  sceptical  can  explain.  It  is  the 
custom  to  scoff  at  the  modern  Egyptian  magician 
and  his  ink  mirror  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  boy  ;  but 
Lane,  a  very  careful  observer,  both  heard  of,  and 
personally  witnessed,  some  exhibitions  which  deeply 
impressed  him.  "  One  of  the  most  sensible  "  of  his 
Mahommedan  friends  told  him  of  a  visit  which  he 
and  a  companion,  the  Sheikh  El-Emeer,  paid  to  one 
of  these  modern  magicians,  a  highly-respected  Sheikh, 
Aboo-Ru-oos  of  Dasook.  Invited  to  make  trial  of 
his  skill,  his  companion  asked  that  coffee  might  be 
served  to  them  in  his  father's  coffee-service.  After 
a  few  minutes  the  coffee  was  produced  in  the  cups 
which  he  had  to  acknowledge  were  "  certainly  his 
father's."  "  He  then  wrote  a  letter  to  his  father," 
says  Lane,  "  and,  giving  it  to  Aboo-Ru-oos,  asked 


1 18  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vi.  1 3 — vii.  7 

him  to  procure  an  answer  to  it.  The  magician  took 
the  letter,  placed  it  behind  a  cushion  of  his  deewan, 
and,  a  few  minutes  after,  removing  the  cushion, 
showed  him  that  his  letter  was  gone,  and  that  another 
was  in  its  place.  The  Sheikh  El-Emeer  took  the 
letter,  opened  and  read  it,  and  found  in  it,  in  a  hand- 
writing which,  he  said,  he  could  have  sworn  to  be 
that  of  his  father,  a  complete  answer  to  what  he  had 
written,  and  an  account  of  the  state  of  his  family, 
which  he  proved,  on  his  return  to  Cairo,  a  few  days 
after,  to  be  perfectly  true."  * 

The  claims  of  astrology  have  been  laughed  at,  and 
not  undeservedly ;  and  yet  there  are  what  seem  to  be 
facts  which  appear  to  call  for  a  modified  judgment. 
Colonel  Meadows  Taylor  relates,  in  his  auto- 
biography, the  following  experience.  He  was  long 
resident  at  a  native  court  where  he  occupied  an 
official  position.  One  day  he  found  the  Ranee  in 
great  trouble.  She  had  had  the  nativity  cast  of  her 
then  infant  son,  the  heir  to  her  throne.  The  future 
predicted  for  him  was  so  tragic,  that  other  forecasts 
had  been  obtained  from  the  priests  of  Benares  and 
elsewhere,  but  these  were  all  in  substantial  agree- 
ment with  the  first.  Her  son  was  to  die  when  he 
had  reached  his  twenty-first  year.  One  can  ander- 
stand  the  Colonel's  feelings  when  the  youthful 
Rajah  was  condemned  to  death  by  the  British 
Government  for  participation  in  the  Indian  Mutmy. 
But  he  was  pardoned,  and  the  prediction  appealed 
to  have  missed  its  mark.     He  was  returning  to  his 

•  idodtm  Bgyptinns,  pp  244, 043. 


The  Supernatural  and  Egyptian  Magic.    II9 

principality,  accompanied  by  a  guard  under  the 
command  of  a  British  officer.  The  Rajah,  in  the 
officer's  temporary  absence  from  the  tent,  had  appar- 
ently been  inspecting  his  revolver.  A  report  was 
heard,  and  when  the  tent  was  entered  the  Rajah  was 
found  dead.  The  time  was  kept:  he  had  reached 
his  twenty-first  year. 

Such  well-authenticated  cases  might  easily  be 
multiplied.  I  mention  one  more  only.  Dr.  Wolff 
has  put  the  following  on  record  in  the  account  which 
he  published  of  his  travels.  He  was  residing  at 
Aleppo,  in  1822,  with  the  British  Consul-General, 
Mr.  Barker.  On  his  inquiring  after  the  eccentric 
Lady  Esther  Stanhope,  Mr.  Barker  replied  that  she 
was  undoubtedly  crazy.  As  a  proof  of  this  he  read 
a  letter  which  he  had  received  from  her.  This  letter 
was  read,  not  only  in  the  presence  of  Dr.  Wolff  but, 
also  in  that  of  M.  Lesseps,  M.  Derche,  his  inter- 
preter, and  M.  Maseyk,  the  Dutch  Consul.  The 
letter  was  dated  April,  1821,  and  begged  Mr.  Barker 
not  to  go  to  Aleppo  or  to  Antioch.  The  reason  which 
she  gave  for  this  strange  request  was  that  M. 
Lustenau,  a  French  gentleman  who  resided  with 
her,  who  had  been  a  general  in  the  service  of  Tippoo 
Sahib  in  India,  and  who  had  foretold  to  Lady  Esther 
the  precise  day  and  hour  of  Napoleon's  escape  from 
Elba,  had  predicted  that  both  Aleppo  and  Antioch 
would  be  destroyed  by  earthquake  in  about  a  year. 
The  time  set  was  almost  expired  when  the  letter  was 
reaa;  and  M.  Derche  added  to  the  amusement  of  the 
company  by  informing  them  that  he  also  had  been 


I20  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vi.  1 3 — vii.  7. 

warned  by  Lady  Esther  not  to  go  to  Aleppo,  for  it 
would  be  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  in  less  than  a 
fortnight ! 

A  few  days  afterward  Dr.  Wolff  left  Aleppo  and 
encamped  that  evening  in  the  desert,  near  the 
village  of  Juseea.  "As  the  people  of  Juseea  were 
talking  with  Wolff  and  the  people  of  his  little  camp, 
they  felt  the  first  motions  of  an  earthquake.  In 
another  instant  the  village  of  Juseea  disappeared, 
being  swallowed  up  by  the  gaping  earth,  and  the 
thunder  as  of  cannon  came  from  a  distance.  Shock 
after  shock  succeeded,  and  presently  came  troops  of 
wild  Arabs  and  Bedouins  .  .  .  crying  as  they  fled 
past  one  another:  'This  is  of  God!  This  is  of 
God  !  '  "  *  Wolff  sent  off  a  swift  messenger  to  warn 
Mr.  Barker  at  Aleppo.  But  Aleppo,  Antioch,  Lata- 
kia,  Hums,  Haina,  and  all  the  villages  within  a 
circuit  of  twenty  miles,  had  been  destroyed,  with  a 
loss  of  6o,ooo  lives.  Mr.  Barker,  with  his  wife  and 
child,  had  escaped,  by  creeping  from  beneath  the 
ruins  of  their  house. 

So  long  as  facts  of  that  kind  exist,  it  will  be  im- 
possible to  sweep  away  the  pretensions  of  Egyptian 
magic  as  sheer  imposture  or  delusion.  It  is  safer  far 
to  accept  the  testimony  of  the  Scripture,  which  bears 
on  every  page  the  proof  of  its  freedom  from  super- 
stition, and  of  its  claims  to  be  the  Word  of  Him  who 
knoweth  all  things.  It  clearly  intimates  that  the 
magicians  of  Pharaoh  also  did  wonders.  This  fact 
explains,  too,   the  Divine  procedure  in  those  signs 

*  Howitt,  Hiitory  of  the  Utipernattiral,  pp.  26,  27. 


The  Conflict  with  the  Gods  of  Egypt.     I2i 

worked  by  the  hands  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  God  met 
the  Egyptians  where  they  were.  The  Divine  power 
confronted  that  of  their  priesthood,  and  of  the  so- 
called  deities  in  whom  they  trusted. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Conflict  with  the  Gods  of  Egypt 

(VII.  8— XL  10). 

THE  plagues  were  mercifully  preceded  by  a  sign. 
The  Lord  bids  Moses  to  be  prepared  for  the 
demand  which  Pharaoh  will  make  when  they  once 
more  appear  before  him  (vii.  8,  g).  They  will  be 
greeted  with  the  words :  "  Show  a  miracle  for  you." 
The  command  was  promptly  complied  with.  Aaron 
threw  the  rod-  upon  the  ground,  and  immediately 
curiosity  gave  place  to  consternation.  The  rod 
became  a  serpent  (verse  lo).  Here,  however,  Pharaoh 
imagined  that  he  was  strong.  Transformations  of 
that  kind  are  chronicled  in  ancient  Egyptian  literature 
as  freely  worked  by  the  great  magicians.  His  wise 
men  were  consequently  summoned  in  haste.  When 
they  appeared  and  understood  what  was  demanded 
of  them,  they  responded  promptly.  Their  rods  also 
were  thrown  down,  and  were  immediately  changed 
into  serpents.  Then  something  happened,  significant 
of  the  ending  of  that  conflict  and  of  every  other  in 
which  powers,  terrestrial  or  infernal,  contend  with 
the  Almighty.     Moses'  rod  swallowed  up  the  rods  of" 


122  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vii.8 — xi.  10. 

the  magicians.  The  symbols  of  their  authority  had 
disappeared,  and  that  of  Jehovah's  servants  alone 
remained  (verses  10-12). 

It  might  have  been  imagined  that  this  startling 
result  would  have  led  to  inquiry.  The  defeat  was 
signal ;  and  the  dismay  of  the  magicians  must  have 
been  such  as  could  not  be  concealed.  Verse  13 
rendered:  "He  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh," 
may  also  be  translated,  "  Pharaoh's  heart  was 
hardened,"  or  "  strengthened."  The  word  means 
also  "to  fortify."  Pharaoh's  heart  was  being  besieged, 
and  now  it  receives  strength  to  withstand  the 
besieger.  We  shall  consider  in  the  next  chapter  the 
hardening  of  Pharoah's  heart,  which  is  here  so 
frequently  referred  to.  Meanwhile,  it  is  enough  to 
note  that  an  impression  was  made  by  this  sign,  and 
that  the  impression  was  resisted.  Pharaoh's  heart 
would  not  capitulate,  when,  as  it  were,  the  power  of 
God  was  arrayed  before  the  walls ;  and  now  the  war 
began.  One  or  two  things  have  to  be  noted  before 
we  begin  the  story  of  these  nine  plagues.  There  is, 
in  the  record  of  those  judgments,  a  suggestive 
arrangement  of  which  nothing  is  said,  but  which 
waits  to  be  marked  by  an  attentive  reader.  They 
form  three  divisions,  each  division  consisting  of 
three  plagues.  That  these  dividing  lines  are  drawn 
by  the  Scripture  itself  will  be  plain  when  we  note  one 
remarkable  feature.  A  warning  pirecedes,  in  each 
instance,  the  first  and  the  second  plagues;  but  with 
the  third  in  each  series  no  warning  whatever  is 
given.     Thus  Moses  is  commanded  to  meet  Pharaoh 


The  Conflict  with  the  Gods  of   Egypt.     123 

before  the  waters  of  Egypt  are  turned  into  blood. 
So  again  (viii.  i)  when  the  frogs  are  to  cover  the  land, 
Moses  is  to  go  in  unto  Pharaoh  and  announce  what 
God  is  about  to  do.  But,  when  the  dust  is  smitten 
and  it  becomes  Hce  throughout  the  land  of  Egypt, 
there  is  no  command  to  seek  Pharaoh's  presence. 
So  it  is  with  the  sixth  plague,  when  the  ashes  of  the 
furnace  are  used,  and  it  became  boils  upon  man  and 
beast ;  and  so  also  is  it  with  the  ninth  plague,  when 
the  land  was  covered  with  darkness  as  with  the  pall 
of  death.  In  none  of  these  three  cases  is  there  any 
announcement  to  Pharaoh.  It  was  a  reminder  that 
God  would  not  always  strive ;  and  that  warning, 
repeated  but  unheeded,  will  be  followed  by  judgment 
sudden  and  terrible. 

The  plagues  are  accordingly  arranged  as  follows  : — 

(i)  Waters  turned  in-   -(4)  The  land    cor-    (7)  Cattle  and  herbage 
to  blood.  rupted     by  destroyed  by  hail, 

swarmsofflies, 
or  beetles. 

(2)  The      plagne    of    (5)  The  murrain  of    (8)  The  land  destroyed 

frogs.  cattle,  by  locusts. 

(3)  The  plague  of  lice.     (6)  The   plague   of    (9)  The  darkness  which 

boils  on  man  arrested  all  activity 

and  beast.  in  Egypt. 

A  glance  at  the  above  will  reveal  the  fact  that  there 
is  a  steady  advance  in  the  severity  of  the  Divine 
judgments.  The  first  three  interfere  merely  with 
the  comfort  of  the  Egyptians.  In  the  second  three 
God's  hand  is  laid  upon  their  property.  The  last 
three  bring  death  and  desolation. 

As  I  have  dealt  fully  elsewhere  with  the  history  of 
the  plagues  in  their  relation  to  Egypt,*  our  review 

*  The  New  Biblical  Guide,  vo).  iii.,  pp.  227-296. 


124  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vii.8 — xi.  10. 

of  them  now  will  be  somewhat  brief.  In  the 
announcement  of  the  first  plague,  the  demand  of 
God  is  once  more  set  before  the  king. 

"And  thou  shalt  say  to  him:  Jehovah,  the 
God  of  the  Hebrews,  hath  sent  me  to  thee  to 
say,  Send  away  My  people  and  let  them  serve 
Me  in  the  wilderness ;  and  behold  up  to  the 
present  thou  hast  not  listened.  Thus  hath 
Jehovah  said,  By  this  thou  shalt  know  that  I 
am  Jehovah.  Behold,  I  am  smiting  with  the  rod 
which  is  in  my  hand  upon  the  waters  which  are 
in  the  river,  and  they  will  be  turned  into  blood" 
(vii.  i6,  17). 

Egypt  was  thus  not  only  to  be  deprived  of  water, 
but  the  fish  were  also  to  die.  This  message  was 
delivered  to  Pharaoh  at  the  side  of  the  river,  to  which 
he  had  probably  come  to  pay  Divine  honours  to  the 
stream.  But  there  was  no  reply  from  the  king. 
There  was  no  pleading  on  his  part  for  mitigation  or 
for  delay.  There  was  only  proud,  angry,  possibly  dis- 
dainful, silence.  When  has  God's  demand  ever  been 
to  the  erring  aught  but  an  offence  ?  Then  the  blow 
fell.  In  the  sight  of  all  who  waited,  Moses  is  bidden 
to  command  Aaron  to  stretch  forth  his  rod  upon  the 
waters  of  Egypt.  Aaron  lifted  up  his  rod  and  smote 
the  waters  of  the  Nile,  and  immediately  they  were 
changed  into  blood.  The  land  was  filled  with  con- 
sternation. The  people  dug  pits  by  the  side  of  the 
river  into  which  water  flowed  frorh  the  moist  soil,  or 
welled  up  from  springs.  For  there  was  no  help  in 
their    magicians.     They  also  could  turn  water  into 


The  Conflict  with  the  Gods  of  Egypt.     125 

blood;  but  they  could  not  reverse  the  process,  an-l  so 
roll  back  this  judgment  of  God. 

It  has  also  to  be  noted  that  every  warning  wrought 
before  the  mind  of  Pharaoh  and  his  court  some  well- 
known  scourge,  the  weight  and  sharpness  of  which 
they  could  easily  realise.  For  seven  days  the  Nile 
ran  blood,  and  the  stench  from  it,  and  from  canals 
and  reservoirs  and  pools,  filled  the  land.  Now  a 
second  time  the  demand  is  made,  "  Let  My  people 
go  that  they  may  serve  Me";  and  this  time,  in  case  of 
refusal,  the  judgment  of  God  will  come  still  nearer. 
There  was  some  alleviation  in  the  first-  plague.  They 
procured  drinkable  water  from  the  trenches,  and 
windows  and  doors  might  be  closed  against  the 
stench  of  wide-spread  putrefaction.  But  the  frogs 
will  cover  the  land,  and  enter  the  houses.  They 
will  penetrate  to  the  very  bedchambers  and  go  up 
upon  the  beds.  They  will  defile  the  ovens  and  the 
bread  in  the  kneading  troughs.  Again  the  magicians 
also  brought  up  frogs ;  but  they  could  not  banish 
them,  nor  erect  barriers  which  they  could  not  pass. 
And  now  Pharaoh's  silence  is  broken.  He  sends  for 
Moses  and  Aaron,  and  begs  them  to  beseech  God  to 
remove  the  chastisement,  and  he  will  give  the  desired 
permission  to  Israel  to  go  and  worship.  There  is 
some  obscurity  resting  upon  the  opening  words  of 
Moses'  reply :  **  Glory  over  me."  The  words  mean : 
"Have  honour  over  me."  He  asks  Pharaoh  to 
appoint  the  time  when  this  visitation  shall  end.  He 
meets  gladly  the  first  sign  of  relenting.  He  humbles 
himself    before   the   king;    and   makes  himself  his 


126  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — vii.  8— xi.  1 0. 

servant  in  this  matter.  Pharaoh  bowing  thus  under 
the  rebuke  of  God,  shall  now  be  king  to  Moses.  In 
such  a  moment  a  proud  priest  has  trampled  a 
repentant  king  in  the  dust ;  but  there  is  another 
spirit  in  the  true  servant  of  God.  Pharaoh  accepts 
the  honour,  and  names  the  time.  Moses  goes  forth 
and  cries  unto  the  Lord  that  the  plague  may  be 
removed,  and  removed  at  the  time  appointed.  The 
plague  is  stayed,  and  it  is  stayed  at  the  specified 
time.  But  the  king's  pledge  is  net  kept.  The  mercy 
so  readily  shown  opens  a  door  of  hope  to  Pharaoh. 
It  seems  to  him  that  the  terrors  of  Jehovah's  power 
are  bound  up  with  an  amiable  weakness,  with  which 
other  appeals  may  be  equally  successful.  *'  And 
when  Pharaoh  saw  there  was  respite,  he  hardened 
his  heart,  and  hearkened  not  unto  them,  as  the  Lord 
had  said"  (viii.  1-15).  And  now,  without  warning, 
the  third  plague  fell.  The  dust  of  the  earth  springs 
into  life  that  assumes  the  most  disgusting  and  tor- 
menting form.  The  lice  referred  to  seem  to  be  a 
kind  of  tick,  not  larger  than  a  grain  of  sand,  but,  as 
they  fill  with  blood,  expanding  to  the  size  of  a  hazel 
nut.  And  now  the  magicians  are  baffled  and  give  up 
the  contest.  They  attempt  to  do  as  Moses  has  done, 
and  they  fail.  They  cannot  even  protect  themselves, 
for  they  also  are  defiled  and  tormented.  "  Then  the 
magicians  said  unto  Pharaoh,  This  is  the  finger  of 
God."  But  "his  heart  was  hardened,  and  he 
hearkened  not  unto  them  "  (verses  16-19). 

The  first  series  of   plagues  thus  ended  with  the 
defeat  of  the  magicians  and  the  subduing  for  a  time 


The  Conflict  with  the  Gods  of  Egypt.       127 

of  Pharaoh's  obstinacy.  In  those  inflictions,  which, 
as  has  been  said,  affected  personal  comfort  only,  the 
Israelites  appear  to  have  suffered  along  with  the 
Egyptians.  Now,  however,  when  the  Divine  hand 
is  to  be  laid  upon  property  and  life,  a  division  is 
made  between  the  two  peoples.  A  second  time 
Moses  is  commanded  to  go  forth  in  the  early  morn- 
ing and  to  meet  Pharaoh  at'  the  river.  Once  more 
the  demand  is  made  for  liberty  of  worship,  and  a 
new  penalty  is  imposed  in  case  of  refusal.  This  is 
spoken  of  in  our  Version  as  "swarms  of  flies." 
Arob,  the  word  employed,  is  plainly  not  a  Hebrew, 
but  an  old  Egyptian,  word,  which  seems  to  have  been 
applied  to  a  certain  kind  of  beetle.  But,  whatever 
the  infliction  was,  its  ravages  were  of  a  frightful 
kind:  "The  land  was  corrupted  by  reason  of  the 
arob"  (verse  24).  Pharaoh  is  again  impressed.  He 
sends  for  Moses  and  Aaron  and  proposes  a  com- 
promise, which  is  at  once  rejected.  He  then  con- 
sents ;  the  plague  is  removed ;  "  and  Pharaoh 
hardened  his  heart  at  this  time  also,  neither  would 
he  let  the  people  go  "  (verses  20-32). 

The  fifth  plague  shows  a  further  advance  in 
severity.  Egypt's  chief  wealth  consisted  in  its 
cattle.  It  is  now  announced  that  all  the  cattle  in 
the  field  will  die.  "A  set  time  "  was  appointed  for 
this  plague,  lest  it  should  be  set  down  to  ordinary 
causes.  "To-morrow,"  said  Moses,  "the  Lord 
shall  do  this  thing  in  the  land."  It  was  also  again 
announced  that  Israel  should  be  severed  from  the 
Egyptians  in  regard  to  these  inflictions.     The  warn- 


128  Elxodus— The  Redemptive  Work— vii.  8— xi.  10. 

ingwas  given  in  vain.  With  astonishing  hardihood, 
the  Egyptians  left  their  cattle  in  the  fields  as  usual, 
and  their  cattle  died.  Pharaoh  having  sent  to  in- 
quire whether  the  cattle  of  the  Israelites  had  been 
saved,  and,  learning  that  the  property  of  his  slaves 
had  been  kept  in  safety,  he  finds  his  anger  come  to 
his  aid.  "And  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  was  hardened, 
and  he  did  not  let  the  people  go  "  (ix.  1-7).  A  like 
result  follows  the  sixth  plague,  which  fell  without 
warning  (verses  8-12).  The  ashes  of  the  furnace 
were  sprinkled  toward  heaven  in  the  sight  of  Pharaoh, 
and  they  became  a  boil  breaking  out  uport  man  and 
beast.  The  plague  was  so  severe  upon  the  magicians 
that  they  were  unable  to  remain  in  attendance  upon 
the  king.  But  the  third  of  these  three  plagues,  severe 
though  it  was,  finds  Pharaoh  as  far  from  submission 
as  before. 

The  announcement  of  the  last  plagues  was  prefaced 
by  a  strong  expostulation.  The  demand  for  freedom 
of  worship  was  made  once  more.  "Thus  saith 
Jehovah  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  Send  My  people 
away,  and  let  them  serve  Me.  For  at  this  time  I 
am  sending  all  My  plagues  upon  thee,  and  upon  thy 
people ;  so  that  thou  mayest  know  that  there  is  none 
like  Me  in  all  the  earth  "  (verse  14). 

Pharaoh  is  told  that  for  this  very  cause  God  had 
exalted  him,  so  that  in  him  the  Divine  power  should 
be  manifested.  Light  has  been  thrown  upon  the 
words  by  the  progress  of  discovery.  Thotmes  II. 
was  illegitimate,  being  a  child  of  the  harem.  He 
had  been  selected  from  the  midst  of  many  who,  like 


The  Conflict  with  the  Gods  of  Egypt.     12J 

himself  of  royal  blood,  had,  notwithstanding,  no 
claim  upon  the  throne;  and  the  hand  of  Him  who 
was  about  to  judge  Egypt  for  its  multiplied  trans- 
gressions against  His  people  had  been  in  that  selec- 
tion. A  time  was  now  set  for  the  sending  of  a 
scourge  unparalleled  in  all  Egypt's  history.  The 
next  day,  at  the  same  hour  at  which  the  announce- 
ment was  being  made,  the  predicted  hail  would 
descend  and  sweep  the  land  with  destruction.  A 
word  is  added  in  mercy.  Pharaoh  is  counselled  to 
put  his  cattle  and  his  servants  under  shelter.  There 
were  those  that  heard,  and  feared,  and  saved  their 
servants  and  their  cattle.  "And  the  hail  smote 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt  all  that  was  in  the 
fields,  both  man  and  beast ;  and  the  hail  smote 
every  herb  of  the  field,  and  brake  every  tree  of  the 
field.  Only  in  the' land  of  Goshen,  where  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  were,  was  there  no  hail  "  (vers.  25,  26). 
The  hail  was  accompanied  with  a  terrific  thunder- 
storm, the  lightning  running  along  the  ground. 
So  terrible  was  this  visitation  that  Pharaoh  quailed. 
God's  messengers  are  summoned  in  haste,  and 
find  the  king  in  an  unwonted  mood.  He  met  then) 
with  the  confession:  "I  have  sinned;"  and  con- 
tinued :  "  Intreat  the  Lord  (for  it  is  enough)  that 
there  be  no  more  mighty  thunderings  and  hail;  and 
I  will  let  you  go,  and  ye  shall-  stay  no  longer" 
(verses  27,  28).  Moses  replied  that  as  soon  as  he 
had  passed  beyond  the  city  wall  he  Would  entreat 
God,  and  the  tempest  would  cease.  But  he  in- 
timated that  he  did  this  with  no  expectation  that 


1 30  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work— vii.  8— xi.  1 0. 

freedom  would  be  granted  to  Israel,  but  that  it 
might  be  manifested  that  Jehovah  was  the  God  of 
the  whole  earth. 

A  difficulty  has  been  experienced  in  reconciling 
statements  made  in  the  account  of  the  murrain  upon 
the  cattle  with  the  fact  that  the  Egyptians  are  here 
found  to  be  still  in  possession  of  herds.  In  verse  6 
we  are  told  that,  in  the  fifth  plague,  "  all  the  cattle 
of  Egypt  died."  Where,  then,  had  these  come 
from  ?  The  first  thing,  as  we  have  had  to  remark 
before,  which  those  who  encounter  a  Scripture  diffi- 
culty ou^ht  to  do,  is  to  read  the  Scripture.  When 
that  is  done  in  the  present  instance,  two  things  will 
be  observed.  First  of  all,  the  murrain  was  to  be  only 
upon  the  cattle  that  were  in  the  field  ;  and  secondly,  the 
cattle  of  the  Israelites  were  wholly  exempt  from  its 
ravages.  All  the  Egyptian  cattle  that  were  under 
shelter  were  spared ;  and,  although  no  statement  is 
made  to  that  effect,  the  warning  so  graciously  given 
may  have  been  attended  to  by  many.  Then  land- 
owners may  have  replenished  their  stock  by  pur- 
chasing from  the  Israelites  and  in  other  markets. 
The  fact  that  these  cattle  were  either  the  fruits  of 
recent  purchases,  or  the  remnant  saved  from  the 
previous  visitation,  must  have  increased  the  terrible- 
ness  of  this  second  blow. 

The  eighth  plague  was  inflicted  by  the  locust,  one 
of  the  terrors  of  the  East.  When  Moses  had  once 
more  reiterated  the  Divine  demand,  announced  the 
coming  judgment,  and  passed  from  the  royal  pres- 
ence, Pharaoh's  counsellors  threw  aside  the  restraints 


The  Conflict  with  the  Gods  of  Egypt.    131 

of  court  etiquette  and  urged  him  to  consent,  and  not 
ensure  the  destruction  of  the  little  that  was  left  of  the 
country's  prosperity.  Moses  and  Aaron  are  recalled, 
but  it  is  not  to  hear  that  Pharaoh  has  surrendered. 
It  is  to  listen  to  a  suggested  compromise.  He  is 
willing  to  permit  the  men  to  go  :  but  their  families 
and  their  possessions  must  remain  behind.  The  offer 
is  at  once  rejected.  The  freedom  desired  must  be 
absolute,  or  the  controversy  remains.  Their  refusal 
brings  down  upon  them  the  tyrant's  wrath,  "  and  they 
were  driven  out  from  Pharaoh's  presence"  (x.  i-ii). 
But  the  dishonour  done  to  God's  servants  could  not 
arrest  the  threatened  judgment.  The  locusts  covered 
the  land,  and  the  only  hope  now  left  to  Egypt — 
that,  namely,  resting  on  its  crops  and  its  fruits 
— perished  utterly.  Pharaoh,  appalled  at  the  result 
of  his  temerity,  sent  in  haste  for  the  men  whom  he 
had  driven  away.  He  again  confessed  his  sin,  and 
intreaied  them  .to  beg  for  mercy.  The  prayer  was 
heard,  and  the  locusts  were  driven  away,  "  But  the 
Lord  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart  so  that  he  would 
not  let  the  children  of  Israel  go  "  (x.  20).  And  now 
fell  the  third  unannounced  chastisement:  "And  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thine  hand  toward 
heaven,  that  there  may  be  darkness  over  the  land 
of  Egypt,  even  darkness  which  may  be  felt.  And 
Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  toward  heaven  :  and 
there  was  a  thick  darkness  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt 
three  days.  They  saw  not  one  another^  neither  rose 
anyone  from  his  place  for  three  days  :  but  all  the 
chililnn    of    Israel    had    light    in    their    dwellings" 


132  Exodus— The  Redemptive  Work— vii.  8— xi.  10. 

(verses  21-23).  The  life  of  Egypt  was  instantaneously 
arrested.  Their  great  god  was  Ra,  the  dispeller  of 
darkness,  the  god  of  day;  and  their  temples  were 
resounding  with  his  praises  when  the  daikness  fell. 
The  utter  vanity  of  their  trust  was  thus  manifested, 
and  this  god  also  was  judged.  Evidently  Pharaoh 
was  unable  to  send  for  Moses,  for  no  servant  of  his 
could  have  found  his  way.  But  Moses  had  come,  at 
the  close  of  the  visitation,  to  receive  the  king's  reply. 
It  was  merely  the  proposal  of  another  compromise. 
Liberty  of  worship  would  be  granted  upon  one  con- 
dition. Men,  women,  and  children  would  be  per- 
mitted to  go,  but  their  flocks  and  their  herds — now 
of  immense  importance  to  impoverished  Egypt — 
must  remain.  Moses  has  but  one  reply  :  the  liberty 
must  be  utter.  Israel  must  be  free  to  worship  God 
with  all  that  it  has.  "And  the  Lord  hardened 
Pharaoh's  heart,  and  he  would  not  let  them  go" 
(verse  27).  And  now  the  baffled  tyrant  vents  his 
fury  upon  Moses.  He  bids  him  depart,  and  see  his 
face  no  more  on  pain  of  death. 

At  this  point  in  the  Scripture  narrative  confusion 
has  been  introduced  by  the  lack  of  one  small  word 
in  both  the  Authorised  and  the  Revised  Version?. 
Chapter  x.  ends  with  Moses'  reply  to  the  vain,  but 
furious,  threatening  of  the  king:  "And  Moses  said, 
Thou  hast  spoken  well,  I  will  see  thy  face  again  no 
more."  Now,  if  we  reflect  upon  these  words,  we  must 
be  struck  by  their  strong  assurance.-  How  is  it  that 
Moses  is  able  to  say  that  he  will  not  seek  another 
audience  with  the  king?     Has  he  been  told  that  the 


The  Conflict  with  the  Gods  of  Egypt.    133 

struggle  ends  there,  and  that  the  last  demand  has 
been  made  of  Pharaoh,  and  that  the  last  warning 
has  been  given  to  him  ?     And  if  he  has  been  told  all 
this,  when  and  how  was  the  information  imparted  ? 
That  is  a  point  on  which  the  Scripture,  which  has 
told  us  so  much,  would  not,  we  may  be  well  assured, 
have  left  us  unenlightened.     But,  as  the  eleventh 
chapter  begins  in  both  our  Versions,  no  information 
whatever  is  imparted.     We  are  carried  away  instead 
into  the  midst  of  what  seems  to  be  an  entirely  new 
matter :  "  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  Yet  will  I 
bring   one   plague   more  upon   Pharaoh,  and   upon 
Egypt ;  afterwards  he  will  let  you  go  hence :  when 
he  shall  let  you  go,  he  shall  surely  thrust  you  out 
hence    altogether,"   etc.      Then    we    read:    "And 
Moses  said.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  About  midnight 
will  I  go  out  into  the  midst  of  Egypt :  and  all  the 
firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt  shall  die,  from  the 
firstborn  of  Pharaoh  that  sitteth   upon  his  throne, 
even  unto  the  firstborn  of  the  maid-servant  that  is 
behind   the   mill;    and  all   the   firstborn   of  beasts. 
And  there  shall  be  a  great  cry  throughout  all  the 
land  of  Egypt,  such  as  there  was  none  like  it,  nor 
shall  be  like  it  any  more.     But  against  any  of  the 
children  of  Israel  shall  not  a  dog  move  his  tongue, 
against  man  or  beast,  that  ye   may  know  that  the 
Lord  doth  put  a  difference  between  the  Egyptians 
and  Israel.     And  all  these  thy  servants  shall  come 
down  unto  me,  and  bow  down  themselves  unto  me, 
saying.  Get  thee  out,  and  all  the  people  that  follow 
thee  :  and  after  that  I  will  -o  out  "  (verses  4-8).     To 


1 34  Exodus— The  Redemptive  Work— vii.  8— xi.  1 0. 

whom  is  Moses  speaking?  Plainly  to  the  king,  and 
to  the  king  surrounded  by  his  court,  who,  though 
they  cannot  see  Moses,  hear  all  that  is  said.  Has  he, 
then,  been  sent  back  again,  after  declaring,  as  we  are 
told  in  the  last  words  of  chapter  x.,that  never  again 
would  he  seek  an  interview  with  Pharaoh  ?  Plainly 
Moses  has  remained  in  the  royal  presence,  and  the 
next  words  make  that  quite  certain:  "And  he  went 
out  from  Pharaoh  in  a  great  anger"  (verse  8).  Now, 
the  introduction,  as  I  have  said,  of  one  small  word, 
removes  every  vestige  of  confusion.  As  has  been 
already  explained,  the  Hebrew  past  tense  is  also  a 
pluperfect.  Instead  of:  "And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Moses"  (xi.  i),  translate:  "And  the  Lord  had  said 
unto  Moses,"  and  all  is  clear.  Moses  had  already 
received  the  command  about  the  Passover,  and  had 
already  arranged  with  Israel  for  its  observance. 
Apparently  the  14th  day  of  Nisan  had  come;  and 
Moses,  delivering  the  Divine  ultimatum,  leaves  for 
ever  the  palace  of  the  Pharaohs.  So  thorough  is 
the  orderly  arrangement  of  the  Book,  and  so  com- 
plete is  its  unity  of  authorship,  that  the  story  of  the 
negotiations  with  Pharaoh  has  not  been  interrupted, 
and  nothing  has  been  said  so  far  of  God's  communi- 
cations with  Israel.  But  this  part  of  the  narrative 
having  been  ended,  we  are  now  told  in  chapter  xii. 
of  the  instructions  which  have  meanwhile  been  given 
to  Israel,  and  of  the  preparations  which  have  been 
made  for  their  departure  from  the  land  of  bondage. 


The  Hardening  of  Pharaoh's  Heart.       135 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Hardening   of  Pharaoh's   Heart,  and  his 
Proposed  Compromises. 

'^r^HE  Scripture  statements  concerning  the  harden- 
-A.  ing  of  Pharaoh's  heart  have  constituted  for 
many  a  huge  moral  difficulty.  One  book,*  formerly 
of  note,  but  now  almost  wholly  neglected,  has  put 
the  matter  well.  "  The  hardening  of  Pharaoh's 
heart  has  been  a  fruitful  source  of  malignant  cavil 
with  the  adversaries  of  the  Bible ;  some  of  whom 
have  not  hesitated  to  affirm  that  this  single  chapter 
is  sufficient  to  destroy  the  authenticity  of  the 
entire  Scriptures;  while  others,  more  decently  and 
speciously,  assert  that  a  just  God  could  not  punish 
the  Egyptian  monarch  for  a  hardness  of  heart  of 
which  He  (God)  Himself  was  evidently  the  cause." 
But  it  is  impossible  to  commend  the  explanation 
which  the  writer  suggests,  or  that  which  he  quotes 
from  Bishop  Home.  The  learned  Bishop  practically 
contended  that  we  must  attach  such  a  sense  to  the 
words  as  will  remove  all  their  difficulty :  that  God 
could  not  have  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart,  and  that 
the  words  must  not  be  read  as  if  they  said  He  did 
harden  the  heart  of  the  Egyptian  king.  And  he 
adds :  "  The  heart  may  be  hardened  by  those  very 
respites,  miracles,  and  mercies  intended  to  soften  it; 
for  if   they  do   not  soften  it  they  will   harden  it." 

*  Home's  Introduction  (14th  Edition),  vol.  i.,  p.  599. 


136  Exodus— The  Redemptive  Work— vii.  8— xi.  ! 

But  if  this  is  what  the  words  were  intended  to 
convey,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  expressions 
adopted  in  the  Scripture  are  singularly  unfortunate; 
for  they  state  plainly  that  the  hardening  of  Pharaoh's 
heart  was  part  of  the  Divine  intention  from  the 
beginning. 

The  additional  suggestions  made  by  the  author 
himself  equally  fail  to  convince.  He  would  amend 
the  translation,  and  make  the  expressions  run  as 
follows :  "  I  will  permit  Pharaoh's  heart  to  be 
hardened  "  ;  "  The  Lord  suffered  Pharaoh's  heart  to 
be  hardened."  As  a  matter  of  translation,  the  sug- 
gestion is  groundless ;  and  so  also  are  other,  attempts 
of  a  similar  kind  to  rob  the  Scripture  statements  of 
their  imagined  offending.  Others  have  sought  the 
aid  of  philosophy.  Pharaoh's  heart  was  hardened, 
we  are  told,  as  the  result  of  the  operation  of  the 
laws  which  govern  our  moral  nature ;  but,  as  God  is 
the  author  of  those  laws,  the  hardening  is  said  to  be 
His  act.  Such  reasoning  will  hardly  satisfy  any 
honest  and  clear-minded  thinker.  And  still  less  will 
it  reassure  him  when  he  turns  to  the  record  again 
and  considers  the  Scripture  phrases.  These  are 
varied.  We  are  told  at  one  time  that  Pharaoh 
hardened  his  heart ;  at  another,  that  his  heart  was 
hardened;  and  then,  again,  that,  at  certain  crises, 
Jehovah  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh.  If  the 
Bible  meant  us  to  understand  one  and  the  same 
thing  throughout,  it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  one 
phrase  would  have  been  kept  to;  and  seeing,  on  the 
other  hand,  that  the  phrase  is  occasionally  so  changed 


The  Hardening  oi  Pharaoh's  Heart.       137 

as  to  attribute  the  hardening  to  a  special  Divine 
interposition,  we  conclude  that  that  Divine  act  took 
place. 

These  statements,  however,  do  not  stand  alone  in 
Scripture.  A  similar  difficulty  attaches  to  a  New 
Testament  prediction.  In  2  Thessalonians  ii.  11,  I2 
we  read:  "And  for  this  cause  God  shall  send  them 
strong  delusion,  that  they  should  believe  a  lie:  that 
they  all  might  be  damned  (judged)  who  believed  not 
the  truth,  but  had  pleasure  in  unrighteousness." 
This  passage  is  the  more  remarkable  that  the  struggle 
which  is  here  predicted  is  that  of  God  with  the 
antichrist.  The  struggle  with  Pharaoh  is  typical  of 
that  last  conflict,  as  Pharaoh,  the  enemy  of  God's 
people  and  the  man  who  opposes  the  founding  of 
God's  kingdom  in  the  earth,  is  the  type  of  that 
**  Wicked  One"  who  will  set  his  hand  to  the  same 
work.  There  is  more  in  this  than  an  imaginary  re- 
semblance. The  world's  sin  will  then  have  ripened  for 
the  judj^ment,  just  as  the  sin  of  Egypt  had  reached 
its  climax  now;  and  as  Egypt's  conflict  with  God 
was  led  by  one  man,  its  acknowledged  king;  so  the 
world's  attempt  to  defeat  the  purpose  of  the  Lord  and 
of  His  Christ  will  be  led  by  the  world's  great  god- 
king,  who  will  revive  the  old  Egyptian  claims  to  the 
possession  of  superhuman  power,  "whose  coming  is 
after  the  working  of  Satan  with  all  power  and  signs 
and  lying  wonders,  and  with  all  deceivableness  of 
unrighteousness  in  them  that  perish  :  because  they 
received  not  the  love  of  the  truth  that  they  might  be 
saved"  (2  Thessalonians  ii.  9,  10).     It  is  specially 


138  Exodus— The  Redemptive  Work— vii.  8— xi.  10. 

noteworthy,  therefore,  that,  in  connection  with  this 
ancient  conflict,  and  with  that  coming  revolt  against 
the  Lord  and  His  Anointed,  we  should  have  this 
same  judicial  act  attributed  to  God. 

But  the  question  still  remains  as  to  what  this 
judicial  act  is.  The  attempt  to  remove  objection 
by  robbing  the  words  of  their  evident  meaning  has 
also  been  made  in  regard  to  the  New  Testament  pre- 
diction that  "  God  shall  send  them  strong  delusion." 
Referring  to  this.  Dean  Alford  has  well  said:  "peinpei 
(sends)  must  not  for  a  moment  be  understood  of 
permissiveness  only  on  God's  part — He  is  the  judicial 
sender  and  doer — it  is  He  who  hardens  the  heart 
which  has  chosen  the  evil  way."  That  there  is  such 
actual  hardening  in  the  course  of  the  Divine  judicial 
procedure  has  been  recognised  from  time  immemorial. 
"  Whom  the  gods  would  destroy,"  said  the  Ancients, 
"they  first  make  mad."  The  daring  of  some  men 
became  so  stupendous ;  all  regard  for  consequences, 
that  to  the  ordinary  eye  were  so  palpable  and  so 
inevitable,  was  cast  away  so  utterly  ;  that  the  con- 
viction was  so  irresistible  that  these  men  were  being 
driven  to  their  fate  by  a  Divine  power.  And  modern 
times  are  not  without  examples.  Who  can  read  of 
Napoleon's  invasion  of  Russia,  after  having  roused 
against  himself  the  hostility  of  every  nationality  in 
Europe,  without  seeing  in  it  the  climax  of  an  infatu- 
ation that  bore  him  and  his  armies  to  their  fate  ? 
And  when,  without  having  secured  the  friendship  of 
a  single  Power,  he  rushed  from  Elba,  gathered  his 
veterans  once  more  around  him,  and  led  them  on  to 


The  Hardening  of  Pharaoh's  Heart.       139 

the  terrible  overthrow  of  Waterloo,  a  Divine  intent 
seems  to  be  equally  apparent.  Those  scourges  of 
the  nations,  having  served  their  purpose,  had  to  be 
utterly  broken  and  cast  away. 

In  Pharaoh's  case,  the  Divine  purpose  is  still 
clearer.  Even  apart  from  the  fact  that  the  salvation 
and  the  judgment  were  typical  of  the  coming  judg- 
ment of  the  peoples  and  the  final  establishment  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  we  can  see 
Divine  justice  in  that  hardening  of  Pharaoh's  heart. 
Egypt  and  its  kings  had  done  too  much,  and  had 
gone  too  far,  in  national  wrong-doing,  to  be  permitted 
to  withdraw  unscathed.  Ordinary  prudence  must 
have  seen  that  to  contend  with  the  God  of  Israel 
was  to  court  destruction  ;  and  if  Pharaoh  and  his 
counsellors  had  been  left  to  the  guidance  of  ordinary 
prudence,  the  conflict  might  have  ended  when  the 
waters  were  turned  into  blood  and  the  stench  of  the 
putrid  streams  and  pools  filled  the  land.  But  where 
should  after  times  have  read  the  truth  that  there  is  a 
God  who  judgeth  in  the  earth  ?  Whence  wouid  the 
oppressed  have  gathered  the  confidence  that  the  right- 
eous Judge  will  not  keep  silence  for  ever?  No,  God, 
who  is  about  to  reveal  Himself  in  Israel  in  mercy,  has 
first  of  all  to  reveal  Himself  in  Egypt  in  the  terrible- 
ness  of  His  righteous  judgments.  And  so  Plmraoh 
and  his  ordinarily  wise  men  are  led  to  throw  prudence 
behind  them,  and  to  press  through  one  fearful  over- 
throw after  another,  until  the  Divine  sentence  is 
fulfilled,  and  the  fate  of  the  oppressor  reveals  in 
blood  and  terror  the  awfulness  of  his  crime.    There- 


140  Exodus— The  Redemptive  Work— -vii.  8— xi.  10. 

fore,  if  this  very  difficulty  had  not  been  in  the  Bible — 
if  this  hard  saying  which  so  few  can  hear  had  not 
been  placed  in  the  heart  of  this  account  of  God's 
deliverance  of  His  people — the  Bible  would  not  have 
been  the  Revelation  which  it  claims  to  be.  Pro- 
fessing to  recount  to  us  what  God  did  in  this 
memorable  time,  it  would  have  left  us  without  any 
explanation  of  how  the  hand  of  God  had  led  Egypt 
on  to  its  deserved  but  fearful  punishment. 

In  view  of  the  symbolic  character  of  this  struggle, 
it  is  suggestive  to  note  the  various  attempts  made 
by, Pharaoh  to  get  a  less  rigorous  demand  substituted 
for  that  which  was  persistently  kept  before  him. 
He  was  asked  to  grant  to  the  Israelites  absolute 
liberty  of  worship.  This  necessitated  a  three  days' 
journey  into  the  wilderness,  so  that  the  slave  should 
be  able  to  worship  God  in  the  joy  of  at  least  a 
temporary  freedom.  The  compromise  first  proposed 
by  Pharaoh  was  that  they  should  worship  God  "in 
the  land  "  (viii.  25-27).  That  was  at  once  rejected. 
The  Israelites,  Moses  said,  must  worship  God  with- 
out hindrance  and  without  fear  of  molestation. 
They  must  separate  from  all  their  then  surroundings 
so  that  God  and  they  may  be  together.  A  like 
necessity  rests  upon  God's  people  now.  There  can 
be  no  genuine  service  of  God  without  separation. 
There  are  ties  that  must  be  sundered,  and  that  are 
sundered  when  a  man  enters  into  covenant  with  the 
living  God.  The  soul  yielded  to  the  Redeemer  must 
needs  have  its  Exodus.  We  must  go.  a  three  days' 
journey  into  the  wilderness;  or,  in  the  speech  of  the 


The  Hardening  of  Pharaoh's  Heart.       14 ^ 

new  Covenant,  we  must  take  up  our  cross  and  follow 
Him  without  the  camp.  When  that  suggestion  was 
set  aside,  Pharaoh  still  pleaded  for  some  slight 
modification  of  the  demand  :  "  And  Pharaoh  said,  I 
will  let  you  go,  that  ye  may  sacrifice  to  the  Lord 
your  God  in  the  wilderness;  only  ye  shall  not  go  very 
far  away  "  (verse  28).  That  plea  is  always  urged. 
What  necessity  is  there  for  thorough  separation? 
Why  abandon  old  ways  and  old  amusements,  which 
in  themselves  are  innocent  enough  ?  Why  should 
one  live  in  the  world  as  though  not  of  the  world? 
It  is  a  plea  which  has  not  been  unsuccessful.  Its 
moderation  has  invested  it  with  a  fatal  semblance  of 
reasonableness.  But  the  demand  of  God  was  not 
lowered.  The  three  days' journey  was  not  exchanged 
for  a  two  days',  or  a  one  day's,  or  a  three  hours' 
journey.  To  lower  God's  demand  is  disloyalty  to 
Hmi,  and  surrender  to  that  fearful  mastery  from 
which  He  seeks  to  deliver  us. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  struggle  two  other 
proposals  were  made.  The  king  will  permit  the  men 
to  go,  but  their  families  must  remain  (x.  8-11).  That 
measure  6f  reform  might  have  been  received  with 
thankfulness.  If  the  men  went,  there  would  have 
been  temporary  relief  from  the  terrible  pressure  of 
their  bondage;  for  the  men  only  appear  to  have 
been  enslaved.  But  anxiecy  would  have  remained. 
Those  taskmasters  were  not  the  men  to  v/nom 
Israel  coald  witn  serenity  or  with  safety  have 
entrusted  the  women  and  the  children.  Besides, 
the  refrephment  and  joy  of  that  access  to  God  were 


142  Exodus— The  Redemplive  Work— vii.  8— xi.  10. 

blessings  which  they  desired  their  wives  and  their 
children  to  share.     If  the  Christian  must  separate 
from  his  old  life,  he  is  the  last  man  to  leave  those 
dear  to  him  in  surroundings,  and  under  influences, 
from  which  he  himself  must  flee.     A  good  shepherd 
finds  little  satisfaction  in  the  thought  of  his  personal 
safety,  if  the  wolves  are  ravening  among  the  sheep; 
and    Israel,  in  order  to  be  God's  people  so  that  a 
seed  might  serve  Him,  had  to  come  out,  young  and 
old.     That  compromise  was,  therefore,  also  peremp- 
torily rejected.     The  fourth  and  last  suggestion  was 
a    modification    of    the    third.       Seeing    that    the 
separation  must   be  complete,  the  only  thing  that 
was  left  was  to  see  to  it  that  it  should  be  tehiporary. 
Pharaoh  cannot  detain  the  women  and  the  children. 
He,  therefore,  proposes  that  their  cattle  remam  as 
a  pledge  of    Israel's  return :  "  And  Pharaoh  called 
unto  Moses  and  said,  Go  ye,  serve  the  Lord :  only 
let  your  flocks  and  your  herds  be  stayed :  let  your  little 
ones  go  also  with  you"  (x.  24).     The  cattle,  which 
formed  the  wealth  of  the  Israelites  and  largely  fur- 
nished the  means  of  their  subsistence,  would  have 
been   an    ample  pledge  for   their  speedy  return   to 
Egypt    and    its   influences.     The  reply  was  that  if 
they  are  to  serve  God,  their  herds  and  their  flocks 
must  accompany  them,  for  from  these  the  sacrifices 
have  to  be  selected.     The   Christian  cannot    serve 
God  if  his  business  is  carried  on  by  methods  which 
God  condemns.     If  he  has  to  separate  from  the  life 
that  has  no  practical  recognition  of  God,  his  business 
methods  must  be  separated  also.     His  herds  and  his 


The  End  of  the  Struggle.  I43 

flocks  must  needs  go  with  him.  The  world's  adage : 
"  Religion  is  religion,  and  business  is  business,"  is 
simply  Pharaoh's  last  attempt  to  hold  back  that 
which  God  would  redeem.  It  will,  therefore,  be 
seen  that,  as  our  Lord's  temptation  in  the  wilder- 
ness sheds  light  on  the  temptations  which  have 
constantly  assailed  His  Church,  so  these  com- 
promises, suggested  by  Pharaoh,  have  pictured  the 
battle  which  has  ever  had  to  be  fought,  and  which 
will  have  to  be  fought  to  the  end,  by  those  whom 
God  redeems. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

The  End  of  the  Struggle,  and  the  Complete 

Deliverance  of  Israel. 

XII.  1—39- 

UP  to  the  conclusion  of  chapter  xi.  the  story 
of  the  struggle  with  Egypt  has  been  continued 
without  a  break.  As  to  what  communications  may 
have  been  made  meantime  to  the  Israelites,  nothing 
whatever  has  been  said.  But  now,  just  before  the 
last,  and  great,  blow  falls  upon  Egypt,  we  are  com- 
pelled, for  a  reason  that  immediately  transpires,  to 
turn  aside  for  a  moment  and  mark  what  is  being 
done  among  God's  people. 

Our  attention  is,  first  of  all,  called  to  the  circum- 
stance that  what  follows  in"  chapter  xii.  is  a  new 
communication   to    Moses   and   Aaron :    "And   the 


144  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — xii.  1-39. 

Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,  saying,"  &c.  (xii.  i).  This  injunction  was 
not  given  to  Moses  at  Sinai ;  and  a  careful  reading 
of  the  passage  shows  that  it  must  have  been  spoken 
less  than  two  weeks  before  the  farewell  interview 
with  Pharaoh.  That  last  meeting  took  place  appar- 
ently in  the  morning  of  the  14th  Nisan,  or  Abib,  as 
the  Israelites  then  called  the  month,  using  its 
Egyptian  name  ;  for  Moses  gives  Pharaoh  the  Divine 
message:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  About  midnight 
will  I  go  out  into  the  midst  of  Egypt,  and  all  the 
firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt  shall  die  "  (xi.  4,  5). 
The  midnight  spoken  of  is  evidently  that  following 
the  dav  on  which  he  is  addressing  the  king.  But 
when  we  come  to  chapter  xii.  2,  we  learn  thai  Nisan 
had  already  begun  before  this  Divine  message  came 
to  Moses  and  Aaron;  for  it  ran  as  follows:  "This 
month  shall  be  unto  you  the  beginning  of  months: 
it  shall  be  the  first  month  of  the  year  to  you." 
"This  month"  had  consequently  already  begun. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  communication  was  made 
before  the  tenth  of  the  month  ;  for  on  that  day,  the 
Israelites  are  told  that  the  Lamb  is  to  be  taken  from 
the  fold  and  brought  into  the  home  which  it  is  to 
shield  with  its  shed  blood.  Sometime,  then,  between 
the  first  and  the  tenth  of  the  month  Nisan,  Moses 
received  the  communication  to  which  reference  was 
made  in  xi.  i  :  "And  the  Lord  had  said  unto  Moses, 
Yet  will  I  bring  one  plague  more  upon  Pharaoh, 
and  upon  Egypt." 

Nisan,  or  Abib,  had  hitherto   been    the    seventn 


The  End  of  the  Struggle.  145 

month  of  the  Hebrew  Calendar.  That  it  was  now 
to  become  the  first  month  of  the  religious  year 
showed  the  stupendous  character  of  the  act  which 
was  announced.  It  indicated  that  in  some  way  the 
coming  event  was  to  create  them  the  people  of  God, 
and  form  the  real  commencement  of  their  national 
history.  As  we  read  on  we  soon  perceive  that  this 
event  is  indeed  invested  with  the  momentous  im- 
portance which  is  here  foreshadowed.  The  judgment, 
of  which  Egypt  was  warned  at  the  very  beginning  of 
God's  dealing  with  it,  but  to  which  its  king  made  no 
reference,  and  which  Egypt  has  apparently  regarded 
as  a  vain  threat,  is  now  anew  proclaimed,  to  Israel. 
There,  among  them,  we  mark  the  signs  of  anxious 
preparation  ;  for,  when  the  angel  of  death  is  abroad, 
Israel  must  be  securely  sheltered.  On  the  loth  day 
of  Nisan  a  lamb  is  to  be  selected  for  each  house. 
The  Israelite  is  specially  informed  as  to  the  kind  of 
lamb  which  is. to  be  chosen,  and  as  to  what  is  to  be 
done  with  it.  They  are  told  what  use  is  to  be  made 
of  its  blood ;  how  the  flesh  is  to  be  prepared  for  that 
night's  food ;  and  in  what  array  and  manner  they  are 
to  eat  of  it  (verses  3-11).  And  then  the  reason  for 
all  this  is  given  (verse  12) : 

"And  I  will  pass  through  the  land  of  Egypt 
in  that  night,  and  I  will  smite  all  the  firstborn 
in  the  land  of  Egypt  from  that  of  man  even  to 
that  of  beast ;  and  upon  all  the  gods  of  Egypt 
will  I  execute  judgments  :  I  am  Jehovah.  And 
the  blood  shall  be  to  you  for  a  sign  upon  the 
houses  where  ye  are :  and  I  will  see  the  blood. 


146  Exodus — The    Redemptive  Work — xii.  1-39. 

and  will  pass  over  you,  and  there  shall  be  upon 
you  no  plague  to  destroy  you  in  My  smiting  in 
the  land  of  Egypt.  And  that  day  shall  be  to 
you  for  a  memorial.  And  ye  shall  celebrate  it  a 
feast  to  Jehovah.  Ye  shall  celebrate  it  through- 
out your  generations,  an  ordinance  for  ever." 

Down  to  our  own  time  this  feast  retains  its  ap- 
pointed place  in  Israel.  The  Jews  are.  indeed,  no 
longer  able  to  sacrifice  the  Iamb:  for  from  the  one 
altar,  before  which  a  subsequent  law  ordained  that  it 
should  be  slain,  they  have  been  banished  for  eighteen 
centuries.  But  the  feast  is  still  observed  with  all  its 
other  striking  ceremonies.  Before  we  pass  on,  a 
word  may  be  necessary  regarding  the  judgment 
which  is  to  be  brought  upon  all  the  gods  of  Egypt 
in  the  slaughter  of  the  firstborn.  Egypt  was  no- 
torious for  one  feature  of  its  worship.  The  gods 
were  associated  with  certain  animals,  which,  as  their 
incarnations,  were  enshrined  in  the  temples  and 
adored  as  Divine.  When  one  of  these  died,  the 
province  was  filled  with  lamentations  and  mourning. 
This  folly  now  exposed  Egyptian  idolatry  to  a  crush- 
ing blow.  Terrible  as  was  the  grief  for  their  firstborn, 
which  bowed  down  every  household  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,  there  was  a  still  deeper  sorrow  for  their 
slaughtered  gods. 

Minute  directions  are  now  given  (verses  12-20)  for 
the  feast  which  the  slaying  and  eating  of  the  lamb  is 
to  introduce.  This  is  named  the  feast  of  unleavened 
bread.  It  is  to  be  observed  for  seven  days,  during 
which  no  leaven  is  to  be  found  in  any  .of  their  dwell- 


The  End  of  the  Struggle.  147 

ings.  All  these  directions  were  published  in  the 
opening  days  of  Nisan ;  but  on  the  tenth  day  of  the 
month  Moses  assembles  the  elders  and  commands 
that  the  people  select  now  the  lamb  for  the  Passover, 
and  tells  them  how  the  blood  is  to  be  applied.  A 
bunch  of  hyssop  is  to  be  dipped  in  the  blood  that  is 
— not  "  in  the  basin  " — but — on  the  threshold.  The 
word  rendered  "  basin "  is  sap,  which  is  an  old 
Egyptian  word  for  the  step  before  a  door,  or  the 
threshold  of  a  house.  It  also  occurs  in  the  same 
sense  in  the  Syriac,  the  Chaldee,  and  the  Samaritan. 
The  word  is  translated  "  threshold  "  in  Jud.  xix.  27, 
and  "  door  "  in  2  Kings  xii.  9 — apparently  for  the 
sole  reason  that  the  sense  "  basin,"  favoured  by 
lexicographers  and  translators,  could  not  possibly  be 
given  to  the  word  in  these  passages.  The  discovery 
that  sap  belongs  to  the  ancient  Egyptian  language, 
which  necessarily  lent  so  much  to  the  daily  speech  of 
the  Israel  of  -the  Exodus,  has  ended  all  doubt  upon 
this  matter,  and  shed  a  welcome  light  on  this  ancient 
type.  And  it  may  be  added  that  an  important  wit- 
ness to  the  correctness  of  this  rendering  is  found  in 
the  translation  given  by  the  Septuagint,  the  authors 
of  which  were  residents  in  Egypt.  They  render, 
"the  blood  that  is  by  the  door"  (para  ten  thuran). 
No  direction  was  given  about  putting  the  blood  upon 
the  threshold,  for  the  reason  that  the  blood  was 
already  there.  The  lamb  was  evidently  slain  at  the 
door  of  the  house  which  was  to  be  protected  by  its 
blood.  These  directions  are  completed  by  the  in- 
junction to  explain  to  their  descendants — a  custom 


14^   Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — xii.  1-39. 

still  carefully  observed  by  the  Jews — the   occasion 
and  the  meaning  of  the  ceremony  (verses  26-28). 

Such  were  the  preparations  made  by  Israel.  None 
were  made  by  the  Egyptians.  There  seems  to  have 
been  among  them  no  "fearful  looking  for  of  judg- 
ment." Apparently  the  threatening  had  excited  no 
alarm,.  Moses  is  not  summoned  to  appear  in  the 
royal  presence,  and  Egypt  retires  as  usual  to  its  rest. 
Strange  that  those  who  were  absolutely  secure  should 
have  their  thoughts  full  of  that  approaching  hour  of 
terror,  and  that  those  upon  whom  judgment  is  to  fall 
should  be  wrapped  in  an  indifference  which  nothing 
can  disturb — that  the  former  should  watch  through- 
out that  night,  and  that  the  latter  should  betake 
themselves  to  sleep  and  dreams !  Yet  so  it  was  that  the 
Angel  of  Death  found  the  one  and  the  other.  "And 
it  came  to  pass  that  at  midnight  the  Lord  smote  all 
the  firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  from  the  firstborn 
of  Pharaoh  that  sat  on  his  throne  unto  the  firstborn 
of  the  captive  that  was  in  the  dungeon :  and  all  the 
firstborn  of  cattle.  And  Pharaoh  rose  up  in  the 
night,  he  and  all  his  servants,  and  all  the  Egyptians  ; 
and  there  was  a  great  cry  in  Egypt,  for  there  was 
not  a  house  where  there  was  not  one  dead  " 
(verses  29,  30).  And  so  at  last  the  conflict  ended. 
The  Egyptians  are  now  more  eager  to  see  the  Israel- 
ites out  of  the  land  than  ever  they  were  to  retain 
them  in  it.  The  tribes  were  assembled  in  haste  in 
accordance  with  pireparations  evidently  made  long 
before.  They  poured  in  from  all  sides  throughout 
those  morning  hours  to  Rameses,  taking  with  them 


Egyptian  Words  in  Exodus.  149 

herds,  and  flocks,  and  goods,  taking  their  young  and 
their  old  and  the  strangers  who  clave  to  them.  From 
Rameses  they  marched  to  Succoth  on  the  borders  of 
the  land.  And  there,  to  their  astonishment,  when 
they  recalled  the  covenant  made  with  Abraham  and 
the  time  set  for  Israel's  wandering  and  persecution, 
they  found  that  the  time  had  been  kept  to  the  very 
day !  That  fact  directed  and  deepened  Israel's 
praise,  just  as  the  like  accomplishment  of  promise 
fell  as  a  consecration  upon  waiting  ones  at  the  advent 
of  Jesus,  and  will  fall  at  His  coming  again  with  even 
mightier  power  upon  all  who  love,  and  look  for.  His 
appearing. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
Egyptian  Words  in  Exodus. 

THE  vast  importance  attaching  to  the  presence 
of  Egyptian  words  in  the  Pentateuch  has  been 
already  commented  upon,  and  will  be  evident  to  all. 
The  critical  theory  assigns  the  composition  of  the 
historical  portion  of  the  Book  to  Babylonia  and  to 
the  times  of  the  exile.  This  is  applauded  as  a  great 
discovery,  and  is  widely  accepted  as  the  only  account 
of  the  origin  of  the  Book  which  is  worthy  of  these, 
our  enlightened,  lir.ies.  When. we  inquire  as  to  the 
basis  cii  which  ihe  theory  rests,  we  are  introduced 
to  what  PioiediiOi  Einil  Reich  has  happiiy  described 
as  ihc  methods  of  th;i  inquibition.     a  itia^  was  sus- 


150   Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — xii.  1-39. 

pected  of  heresy ;  was  straightway  apprehended ; 
was  thrown  upon  the  rack ;  and,  if  the  torture 
applied  did  not  evoke  a  confession  which  was  all 
that  the  examiners  could  wish,  another  turn  or  two 
of  the  screw  produced  all  that  was  required.  Such 
is,  in  fact,  the  method  of  the  higher  criticism. 
External  evidence  is  not  asked  for,  or  regarded. 
The  testimony  of  the  Jewish  people  ;  the  existence 
of  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch ;  the  fact  that  Jewish 
life,  ecclesiastical,  political,  social,  moral,  and  religious, 
was  moulded  by  the  Law,  and,  consequently,  demon- 
strate its  earlier  existence — all  these  and  kindred 
testimonies  are  set  aside  as  impertinences.  It  is 
enough  that  this  idea  has  entered  the  critical 
Inquisitor's  brain.  The  Book  is  thrown  upon  the 
rack  and  torn  to  pieces.  What  more  can  any  one 
require  in  order  to  be  convinced  that  the  Book  is  a 
cunningly  arranged  collection  of  shreds  and  patches, 
than  those  very  fragments  into  which  the  Inquisitor 
has  torn  it  asunder  ? 

But  facts  cannot  be  neglected  with  safety.  They 
remain  as  steadfast  as  the  rocks  upon  a  lee  shore  ; 
and,  when  the  wind  of  adverse  criticism  awakes, 
theories  are  wrecked  upon  them.  Such  a  fact  is 
this,  that  the  Pentateuch  is  distinguished  from  the 
rest  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  by  the  number  of 
ancient  Egyptian  words  which  are  contained  in  it. 
As  we  have  already  seen,  the  presence  of  these 
words  means  that  the  Book  was  written  for  a  people 
who  were  familiar  with  them,  and  whose  daily  speech 
made  it  necessary  to  select  these  words  in  any  book 


Egyptian  Words  in  Exodus.  151 

intended  for  their  use.  No  more  unanswerable 
argument  could  be  desired  to  show  that  the  Penta- 
teuch was  written  for  the  generation  of  the  Exodus. 
In  addition  to  words  previously  noted,  sap  or  sep, 
mistranslated  "basin,"  which  has  been  dealt  with  in 
the  preceding  chapter,  three  others  may  now  be 
added.  The  term  rendered  "Passover,"  Pesach,  does 
not  seem  to  have  that  meaning.  It  is  entirely 
different  from  the  Hebrew  verb,  a-bhar,  or  ga-bhar, 
so  frequently  used  in  the  sense  of  "to  pass  over." 
Pasach  (the  verb)  and  pesach  (the  noun)  have  no 
connection  with  any  other  Hebrew  word.  They 
closely  resemble,  however,  the  Egyptian  word  Pesh, 
which  means,  "  to  spread  the  wings  over,"  "  to 
protect."  The  word  is  used — we  may  say  explained — • 
in  this  sense  in  Isaiah  xxxi.  5  :  "As  birds  flying,  so 
will  the  Lord  of  Hosts  defend  Jerusalem;  defending 
also  He  will  deliver  it;  and  passing  over  (pasoach, 
participle  of /asac/jj  He  will  preserve  it."  The  word 
has,  consequently,  the  very  meaning  of  the  Egyptian 
term  for  "spreading  the  wings  over,"  and  "pro- 
tecting " ;  And  Pesach,  the  Lord's  Passover,  means 
such  shelter  and  protection  as  is  found  under  the 
outstretched  wings  of  the  Almighty.  Does  not  this 
give  a  new  fulness  to  those  words  of  our  Saviour: 
"  O  Jerusalem  !  Jerusalem  !  .  .  .  How  often  would 
I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  as  a  hen  doth 
gather  her  brood  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would 
not"  (Luke  xiii.  34)?  Jesus  of  NdJarcvh  was  her 
PESACH,  her  sheiier  from  the  coming  judgment; 
and  she  knew  it  not !     ijuite  in  keeping  with  this 


152   Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — xiL  1-39. 

sense  of  protectinj<  with  outstretched  wings  is  the 
fact  that  the  term  Pesach  is  appHed  (i)  to  the 
ceremony,  "  It  is  Jehovah's  Passover"  (Ex.  xii.  11)  ; 
and  (2)  to  the  Lamb  (verse  21) :  "  Draw  out  and 
take  3'ou  a  lamb  according  to  your  families,  and  kill 
the  Passover."  The  slain  Lamb;  the  sheltering 
behind  its  blood;  and  the  eating  of  its  flesh  con- 
stituted the  Pesach,  the  protection  of  God's  chosen 
people  beneath  the  sheltering  wings  of  the  Almighty. 
Two  other  words  may  be  mentioned.  In  xii.  18  it 
is  said:  "In  the  first  month,  on  the  fourteenth  day 
of  the  month  at  even,  ye  shall  eat  m(*tsoth,  until  the 
one  and  twentieth  day  of  the  month."  Matsoth  is 
translated  unleavened  bread.  But  the  way  in  which 
it  is  used  here  shows  that  it  was  a  technical,  and 
yet  very  familiar,  term.  No  explanation  accom- 
panies it;  and  there  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  it  is 
a  kind  of  bread,  save  the  context,  which  shows  that 
it  was  something  to  be  eaten.  That  absence  of 
explanation  could  only  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
word  was  one  in  constant  use.  It  was  quite  enough 
for  those  Israelites  to  be  told  that  they  were  to  eat 
rnalwth.  But  it  would  not  have  been  enough  for 
their  descendants  had  these  been  commanded  for 
the  first  time  to  eat  matsoth.  For  the  term  is  not 
Hebrew.  There  is  a  Hebrew  word  with  the  same 
spelling,  but  it  means  "strife,"  "contention."  It 
has  also  another  meaning,  "to  drink"  or  "to  suck." 
But  it  is  plain  that  all  these,  instead  of  assisting  an 
Israelite  to  understand  the  term,  would  have 
seriously  miL^led  him.     Bnigsch  ]^Gy  has  suggested 


Egyptian  Words  in   Exodus.  153 

that  metsah,  the  singular  form  of  matsoth,  corre- 
sponds to  the  Egyptian  mest,  or  mesi-t,  the  name 
given  to  the  cakes  offered  to  the  god  Osiris  at  the 
great  Egyptian  New- Year  festival.  Mesi-t  was 
probably  the  name  given  to  the  sw^eet  unleavened 
cakes  used  in  the  sacred  ceremonies  of  Egypt,  and 
was,  therefore,  one  of  the  commonest  words  in 
the  mixed  Hebrew  spoken  by  the  Israelites  in 
Egypt.  In  that  way  we  can  understand  how  the 
command  to  eat  matsoth  (the  plural  form),  that  is, 
to  eat  festival  unleavened  cakes,  would  be  at  once 
intelligible  to  the  people  of  the  Exodus. 

One  of  two  companion  words  to  the  above  is 
se-or,  "■  leaven."  "  Seven  days  shall  there  be  no 
leaven  found  in  your  houses  "  (xii.  19).  The  word  is 
met  with  only  in  this  chapter.  There  is  a  Hebrew 
word,  sir,  "to  boil";  but  it  lacks  the  letter  aleph 
which  occurs  ifi  se-or.  There  is  an  Egyptian  word, 
sm,  meaning  "to  seethe,"  which,  as  it  is  connected 
with  sent,  meaning  cheese  or  butter-milk,  may  have 
been  used  in  the  sense  of  "  ferment."  In  any  case, 
this  non-Hebrew  word  is  as  commonplace  to  the 
first  readers  of  the  Pentateuch  as  the  term  matsoth. 
The  other  word,  khamets,  used  in  the  same  verse  for 
"leavened  dough,"  occurs  in  that  sense  only  in  the 
Pentateuch.  There  is  a  similar  word  in  Coptic,  the 
modern  representative  of  the  ancient  Egyptian, 
meaning  "  acid,"  which,  no  doubt,  snows  whence 
the  Hebrew  word  with  this  sense  was  derived. 

These  words  are  only  a  few  examples  of  many, 
which  all  lead  us  back  to  Egypt  and  not  to  Babylon. 


154  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — xii.  1-39. 

Had  there  been  any  truth  in  the  critical  theory,  the 
words  peculiar  to  the  Book  would  have  led  us  to  the 
home  of  the  Babylonian  exiles.  But,  although  the 
language  and  the  customs  of  that  Babylonian  age 
are  so  well-known,  there  are  no  such  links  between 
them  and  the  Pentateuch.  Thus,  while  science  on 
the  one  hand,  can  find  no  justification  of  the 
attack  made  upon  the  genuineness  of  these  Books, 
it  shows,  upon  the  other  hand,  that  the  language  in 
which  the  Books  were  composed  corresponds  dis- 
tinctly with  the  conditions  of  the  Mosaic  age. 


CHAPTER  VHI. 

The  Passover  and  the  Feast  of   Unleavened 
Bread  :   Are  they  Typical  ? 

A  GREAT  claim  is  made  in  the  New  Testament 
Scripture  in  regard  to  the  Passover.  It  is,  in 
effect,  declared  to  have  been  a  picture  of  a  Saviour 
and  of  a  salvation  not  manifested  until  fifteen 
hundred  years  had  passed  away.  When  rebuking 
the  Church  in  Corinth  for  their  lax  discipline,  the 
apostle  wrote  :  "  Purge  out  therefore  the  old  leaven, 
that  ye  may  be  a  new  lump,  as  ye  are  unleavened. 
For  even  Christ  our  Passover  is  sacrificed  for  us. 
Therefore  let  us  keep  the  feast,  not  with  the  old 
leaven,  neither  with  the  leaven  of  malice  and 
wickedness ;    but    with    the    unleavened    bread    of 


The  Passover.  155 

sincerity  and  truth  "  (i  Corinthians  v.  7,  8).  The 
same  representation  evidently  underlies  the  words  of 
Peter :  "  Forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were  not 
redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as  silver  and  gold, 
from  your  vain  conversation  received  by  tradition 
from  your  fathers;  but  with  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without 
spot :  who  verily  was  foreordained  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  but  was  manifest  in  these  last 
times  for  you,"  &c.  (i  Peter  i.  18-20). 

With  regard  to  this  second  passage,  as  well  as  to 
the  Baptist's  testimony,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God, 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world"  (John 
i.  29),  it  may  possibly  be  felt  that  the  reference  to 
the  Passover  is  not  absolutely  clear ;  but  in  any  case 
the  reference  in  Corinthians  can  not  be  mistaken. 
It  might  be  supposed,  however,  that  the  Old  Testa- 
ment rite  merely  afforded  a  happy  illustration  of  the 
work  of  Christ  and  of  the  life  to  which  the  Christian 
Church  is  called,  and  that  the  Apostle's  use  of  it  did 
not  imply  that  those  types  were  thus  fulfilled  predic- 
tions. Let  us  turn,  then,  to  the  emblems  themselves, 
and  mark  what  they  may  reveal.  The  reader  of 
Exodus  xii.  is  struck  by  the  multiplicity  of  directions 
regarding  the  Passover  Lamb,  and  by  the  impos- 
sibility of  accounting  for  them  by  any  influence 
which  they  exerted  in  saving  the  Israelites  from 
death.  First  of  all,  why  was  blood  necessary  ? 
Could  not  God  have  saved  the  Israelites  without 
any  such  device  or  token  ?  Again,  why  was  it  needful 
that  the  lamb  should  be  selected  on  one  day  and 


156  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — xii.  1-39. 

slain  on  another  ?  And,  further,  why  must  it  be  slain 
at  a  certain  time  on  the  appointed  day ;  and  why 
must  its  blood  be  put  on  three  specified  places  on  the 
doorway,  and  on  three  only  ?  All  this  is  too  elaborate 
to  be  destitute  of  design.  And,  if  there  was  design, 
could  it  be  other  than  symbolic  ? 

Our  impression,  that  the  rite  betrays  a  distinct 
symbolic  purpose,  grows  deeper  when  we  consider 
the  details.  They  are  these :  (i)  The  age  of  the 
sacrifice  is  prescribed.  It  is  to  be  a  male  of  the  first 
year  (Exodus  xii.  5).  The  Hebrew  phrase  is  "  a 
male,  the  son  of  a  year  "  ;  that  is,  it  is  to  be  one 
year  old.  The  lamb  was  not  to  be  too  young  nor 
too  old.  It  was  to  die  in  the  fulness  of  its  first 
strength.  If  we  ask  how  that  might  apply  to  Christ, 
we  note  that  this  particular  might  be  fully  sustained 
as  a  description  of  Him.  For  He  died  for  us,  not  in 
old  age,  nor  in  childhood,  or  boyhood,  or  youth,  but 
in  the  fulness  of  His  opening  manhood.  (2)  It  is  to 
be  four  days  in  the  home  for  which  it  is  to  die.  It  was 
brought  from  the  fold  on  the  loth  day  of  the  month; 
and  it  was  led  out  to  die  on  the  14th.  The  fact  will 
be  recalled  that  in  such  symbolism  a  day  frequently 
stands  for  a  year.  Is  there  anything  in  our  Lord's 
experience  answering  to  this  ?  He  began  His 
ministry  with  a  solemn  symbolic  act.  John  was 
baptising  in  the  Jordan,  when  Jesus  presented  Him- 
self with  the  multitude.  They  were  acknowledging 
and  bewailing  their  sin.  They  bowed  their  heads 
meekly  under  the  symbol  of  that  death  which  was 
sin's  penalty.     But  what  place  was  there  for  Him 


The  Passover.  157 

Who  was  holy,  harmless,  and  undefiled,  and  separate 
from  sinners  ?  When  He  passed  down  into  the 
waters  before  that  multitude  the  whole  scene  became 
symbolic.  He  was  there  for  them.  He  bowed  His 
head  beneath  the  whelming  waters  for  no  sin  of  His, 
but  for  the  sins  of  those  for  whose  salvation  He  had 
come  into  the  world.  It  was,  when  He  thus  came 
into  the  midst  of  the  people  as  the  Sin-bearer,  that 
He  was  revealed  to  the  Baptist,  His  fore-runner,  as 
the  Christ.  Is  it  not  striking  that  this  ancient  type 
should  make  that  generally  overlooked  incident  in 
the  Redeemer's  life  assume  the  significance  which 
evidently  belongs  to  it  ?  Just  as  the  lamb  entered 
the  home  as  the  sacrifice  in  whose  blood  those  in  the 
home  were  to  find  safety,  so  Christ's  entrance  upon 
His  place  in  Israel  is  by  way  of  the  waters  of  Jordan, 
from  which  He  issues  as  the  Sin-bearer.  We  have 
noted  that  a  day.in  the  symbol  may  represent  a  year 
in  that  which  is  symbolised.  How  long  did  the 
Lord's  public  ministry,  which  thus  began,  continue  ? 
Between  three  and  four  years !  If  the  Lord's 
baptism  occurred  at  the  Passover  season,  His  public 
ministry  continued  four  years  exactly.  (3)  Whence 
the  sacrifice  comes.  Though  it  abides  in  the  home, 
and  goes  forth  from  it  to  suffer  "  without  the  gate," 
it  is  not  of  the  home.  Within  the  limits  which 
were  here  possible,  could  anything  have  set  forth 
more  fitly  the  relation  between  Christ  and  those 
for  whom  He  died?  He  came,  as  the  lamb  did, 
from  another  fold.  He  assumed  our  nature  and 
tabernacled  among  us  (John  i.  14) ;  but  He  was  not 


158   Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — xii.  1-39. 

from  us.  (4)  The  charachr  0/ the  sacrifice.  "Your 
lamb  shall  be  without  blemish"  (Exodus  xii.  5).  I 
need  not  dwell  upon  the  sinlessness  of  Him,  the 
holy  One  of  God,  Who  "  had  done  no  violence, 
neither  was  any  deceit  in  His  mouth  " — the  only 
Man  Who  has  ever  been  able  to  lift  the  challenge  to 
His  own  age  and  to  humanity  :  "  Which  of  you  con- 
vinceth  Me  of  sin  ?"  (5)  The  lamb  had  to  undergo 
examination.  Before  its  perfectness  could  be  ascer- 
tained, the  lamb  had  to  be  minutely  inspected ;  and 
it  was  only  after  such  minute  inspection  had  dis- 
covered no  blemish  that  the  lamb  was  surrendered 
as  the  sacrifice  for  Israel's  safety.  The  Lord  passed 
through  such  a  scrutiny.  He  was  arraigned  before 
two  tribunals  in  succession.  In  the  Sanhedrim,  com- 
posed of,  and  presided  over  by,  His  bitter  foes,  every 
word  and  deed  that  could  be  used  as  the  foundation 
for  a  conviction  were  adduced.  Even  false  testimony 
was  procured  ;  and,  nevertheless,  all  came  to  nothing. 
When  He  was  hurried  off  to  the  judgment  seat  ot 
Pilate,  the  Roman  governor,  accustomed  to  weigh 
evidence,  he  brought  forth  Jesus  to  the  people,  de- 
1  daring  that  he  found  no  fault  in  Him — thus  repeating 
;  the  very  form  of  words  which  must  have  been  used 
when  the  lamb  was  handed  out  of  the  fold.  (6)  The 
day  of  the  lamb's  death  was  fixed.  It  was  the  14th 
of  Nisan.  When  did  Christ  die?  Just  before  the 
great  Passover  feast  began  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
14th  Nisan.  For  a  long  time  there  was  a  question 
as  to  whether  John  did  not  represent  the  Lord's 
death  as  having  taken  place  on  the  15th  Nisan.    But 


The  Passover.  159 

that  question  is  now  closed,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  four  Gospels  are  in  accord  in  fixing  the  date 
as  the  14th  day  of  the  month.  (7)  But  the  very  hour 
was  also  appointed.  In  Exodus  xii.  6,  we  are  told 
that  the  lamb  was  to  be  killed — not  in  the  evening, 
as  in  our  translation,  but  as  in  the  margin — "  between 
the  two  evenings."  Josephus  has,  fortunately,  told 
us  what  limits  are  here  intended.  He  tells  us  that 
the  Passover  lambs  were  slain  in  the  Temple  court 
between  three  and  five  in  the  afternoon.  Three 
o'clock  was  consequently  the  first  evening,  and  five 
o'clock  the  second  evening.  Six  o'clock  was  night- 
fall. Now,  when  did  Jesus  die  ?  "  And  about  the 
ninth  hour  Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice  ....  My 
God  !  My  God  !  why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  .  .  .  . 
Jesus,  when  He  had  cried  again  with  a  loud  voice, 
yielded  up  the  ghost"  (Matt,  xxvii.  45-50).  Shortly 
after  the  ninth  hour,  therefore — that  is,  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon — Jesus  expired.  Not  before  the 
appointed  time,  nor  lingering  long  after  it,  "  the 
Lord  of  Glory  "  offered  Himself  for  our  salvation. 
(8)  Who  were  to  slay  the  lamb  ?  "  The  whole  assembly 
of  the  congregation  of  Israel  shall  kill  it  between  the 
two  evenings  "  (Exodus  xii.  6).  It  was  not  the  act 
of  Moses  and  Aaron,  nor  that  of  the  natural  priest- 
hood (the  firstborn),  nor  the  act  of  any  selected 
individuals.  It  was  the  deed  of  the  entire  people, 
"the  whole  assembly  of  the  congregation  of  Israel." 
Who  put  Jesus  to  death  ?  Not  the  chief  priests  and 
elders,  nor  the  scribes  and  the  Pharisees.  Eager 
though  all  these  were  to  slay  Him,  they  could  do 


i6o  Exodus — The  Redemptive  Work — xii.  1-39. 

nothing  until  they  had  persuaded  the  people.  For^ 
as  Pilate  put  the  matter,  only  the  popular  vote  could 
decide  that  Barabbas  was  to  live  and  that  Jesus  was 
to  die.  It  was  only,  therefore,  when  the  multitude 
cried  "Crucify  Him!  crucify  Him!"  and  took  the 
guilt  of  that  decision  upon  themselves  and  upon  their 
children,  that  sentence  was  pronounced,  and  that  the 
Christ  was  sent  to  the  cross.  (9)  Another,  and  last, 
point  may  be  noted.  The  Scripture  speaks  of  one  lamb 
only.  There  were  thousands  of  lambs  slain  on  that 
14th  of  Nisan,  which  ended  the  bitter  bondage  of 
Israel ;  and  it  was  impossible  that  the  multitude  of 
the  sacrifices  required  could  be  forgotten  when  the 
directions  were  issued  for  this  first  Passover.  Yet 
not  even  once  is  the  plural,  "  lambs,"  used  through- 
out the  chapter.  There  was  only  one  before  God's 
mind — the  Lamb  of  Calvary.  Now,  it  will  be 
observed  that,  while  none  of  those  nine  things 
which  we  have  just  enumerated  was  necessary  for 
Israel's  safety,  all  of  them  are  needed  to  set  forth  this 
full  picture  of  "  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world."  Here  everything  is  in 
its  place ;  and,  as  each  fresh  particular  is  added,  the 
story  grows  fuller  until  we  have  the  character  and 
the  history  of  the  Man  Christ  Jesus  set  fully  before 
us.  Is  it  possible  to  explain  this  as  a  mere  series  of 
happy  chances  ?  Could  a  picture,  that  has  nothing 
too  much  in  it,  and  that  has  nothing  lacking  to  it,  be 
other  than  the  result  of  design  ?  And  what  design 
could  have  furnished,,  centuries  before  He  came,  this 
pathetic,  yet  magnificent,  emblem  of  the  Saviour  ? 


The  Passover.  i6i 

The  conclusion  to  which  every  candid  mind  is  shut 
up  is,  that  this  picture  of  the  then  coming  salvation, 
and  the  salvation  itself,  are  alike  the  work  of  God. 

Further  meditation  upon  this  type  discovers  other 
marvels ;  but,  since  space  must  be  reserved  for  the 
special  study  which  engages  our  attention — the  plan 
of  Exodus,  I  mention  one  only.  The  Israelites  took 
shelter  behind  four  blood-marks.  The  blood  was 
already  upon  the  threshold.  Into  this  the  hyssop 
bunch  was  dipped,  and  the  blood  was  placed  first 
on  the  lintel  overhead,  and  then  on  each  of  the  side- 
posts  of  the  door.  It  is  a  striking  arrangement. 
Mad  it  been  merely  a  blood-mark  that  was  required, 
that  would  naturally  have  been  put  upon  the  door 
itself.  But  the  door  entirely  escapes.  There  is 
nothing  whatever  upon  it.  The  marks  are  placed 
upon  the  frame  in  which  the  door  is  set :  and  the 
marks  are  four ;  and  four  only ;  and  four  which  are 
placed  in  distinctly  specified  positions.  Look  upon 
them  once  again,  and  say  whether  they  remind  us  of 
anything.  Over  the  entrance  to  each  of  those  homes 
— hanging  there  between  all  who  are  within  and  the 
angel  of  death  without — is  the  Crucified  Christ ! 
Blood  on  the  head,  into  which  the  thorns  were 
pressed  :  blood  on  the  pierced  right  hand,  and  blood 
on  the  pierced  left  hand  :  blood  from  the  feet  through 
which  the  nail  had  also  been  driven  !  What  emblem 
could  have  more  fitly  set  forth  our  great  Passover 
who  died  to  save  us  ? 


PART   III. 

THE   REDEEMED   WITH    GOD 

(XII.  40— XL.  38). 


Introduction. 

WE  have  already  encountered  many  indications 
of  the  unity  of  authorship  in  Genesis  and 
Exodus ;  but  there  is  Httle  that  is  more  striking  than 
the  three-fold  division  in  the  longer  Sections  in 
Genesis  and  in  the  three  Parts  of  Exodus.  After  a 
brief  introduction  (chapter  i.)  of  the  latter  Book  we 
have  THE  Story  of  the  Redeemer  (ii. — vi.  12). 
This,  as  v^^e  have  already  seen,  is  divided  into  three 
Sections:  (i)  The  birth  and  earlier  career  of  Moses 
(chapter  ii.) ;  (2)  The  calling  of  Moses  (iii.  i — iv.  17) ; 
and  (3)  Moses  in  Egypt  (iv.  18 — vi.  12).  The  three 
Sections  of  Part  II. — The  Redemptive  Work — 
are  as  follows:  (i)  The  investiture  of  the  Divine 
Ambassadors  (vi.  13 — vii.  7) ;  (2)  The  Conflict  with 
Egypt  (vii.  8 — xi.  10) ;  and  (3)  The  end  of  the 
Conflict  and  the  Complete  Deliverance  of  Israel 
(xii.  1-39). 

In  the  third  and  last  Part — The  Redeemed 
WITH  God — the  three-fold  division  is  equally  well- 
marked.  There  is  (i)  The  march  to  Sinai  (xii.  40 — 
xviii.  27).    In  that  long  Section,  consisting  of  nearly 


Introduction.  163 

seven  chapters,  there  is  no  break  whatever.     The 
story  flows  on  in  continuous,  connected,  narrative, 
until  we  reach  the  conclusion  of  chapter  xviii.,  where 
we  are  told,  at  the  end  of  the  account  of  the  marches 
and  the  experiences  of  Israel,  of  Jethro's  coming,  his 
counsels  to  Moses,  and  his  departure.     Then  in  the 
nineteenth  chapter  we  have  a  break.     The  onward 
flow  of   the  narrative  is  for  the  moment  arrested. 
The  chapter  opens  with  the  date  of  the  arrival  at 
Sinai  and  the  statement  that  "  Israel  camped  before 
the  mount  "  (verses  i,  2)  ;  and  then  we  have  (2)  The 
giving  of  the  Law  at  Sinai.    This  part  of  the  history 
goes  on  likewise  without  interruption  frona  the  begin- 
ning of  chapter  xix.  to  the  end  of  chapter  xxxi.,  the 
Section  thus  embracing  thirteen  chapters  in  all.  And 
now   we    meet   with    another  distinct  break.     The 
Section  is  formally  closed  with  the  words  :  "And  He 
gave  unto  Moses,  when  He  had  made  an  end  of  com- 
muning with  him  upon  Mount  Sinai,  two  tables  of 
testimony,  tables  of  stone,  written  with  the  finger  of 
God  "  (xxxi.  18).  That  plainly  concludes  the  account 
of  the  giving  of   the  Law.     And  chapter  xxxii.  in- 
timates, in  its  opening  words,  with  equal  clearness 
that  it  begins  a  new  Section  :  "And  when  the  psople 
saw  that  Moses  delayed  to  come  down  out  of  the 
mount,  the  people  gathered    themselves   together" 
(xxxii.  i) ;  and  then  follows  the  account  of  the  casting 
of  the  golden  calf,  &c.     This  last  Section  (xxxii.  i — 
xl.    38),   therefore,   gives   us    (3)    Israel's   apostacy, 
reconciliation,  and  making  -a  Tabernacie  that  God 
the  Lord  may  dwell  anr.ong  thur.i.    There  is  no  otiivi* 


164  Exodus— Redeemed  with   God. 

interruption  of  the  narrative  until  we  come  to  the 
end  of  the  Book. 

That    a   plan    of  so   thorough    and   masterly   an 
order  as  that  should  exist,  without  a  single  remark 
being  made  upon  it,  or  one  word  being  said  to  reveal 
its  existence,  bespeaks  the  presence  of  The  Great 
Teacher.     No  other  has  ever  shown  such  wise,  con- 
siderate, patient,  reticence.     No  other  has  ever  met 
so  fully  the  need  of  the  simple  for  instruction,  and 
at  the  same   time  placed  rewards  for  the  studious 
where  they  were  sure  to  find  them.     But  I  do  not 
now  insist  upon  the  fact  that  the  Book  is  of  God.    I 
point    merely   to   this   three-fold   division,    so   con- 
sistently followed,  as  a  conclusive  proof  that  one 
author,  and  one  author  only,  has  had  to  do  with 
Genesis  and  Exodas.     This  plan  has  not  merely  to 
do  with   the  broad  lines  of   ariangeineniL ;    it   also 
reveals  itself  in  the  selection  of  words  and  the  form- 
ing of  phrases.     No  student  of  these  Books  can  fail 
to   recognise  this  structural  plan  when   it  is  once 
pointed  out ;   nor  can  he,  when  he  has  recognised 
it,  believe  any  longer  in  any  critical  theory  which 
represents  thebe  Books  as  collections  of  myths,  and 
legends,  and  laws,  forged  by  a  designing  priesthood, 
and  arranged,  shaped,  and  altered  by  every  venture- 
some meddler. 


THE   MARCH   TO   SINAI 

(XII.  40-XVIII.  -z-]). 


CHAPTER   I. 

Preparations   for   the   Journey 
(XII.  40— XIII.  22). 

THIS  Section  opens  with  a  statement  which  has 
led  to  differences  of  opinion  among  Bible 
students,  both  in  ancient  and  in  modern  times : 
"And  the  sojourning  of  the  children  of  Israel,  who 
sojourned  in  Egypt,  was  four  hundred  and  thirty 
years "  (xii.  40).  Do  these  430  years  cover  the 
entire  period  from  the  call  of  Abraham  in  Ur  of 
the  Chaldees  until  the  Exodus  ?  Or  are  they  to  be 
understood  as  giving  us  merely  the  duration  of  the 
Egyptian  sojourn  from  the  entry  of  Jacob  into  Egypt 
until  the  deliverance  under  Moses?  Had  not  this 
question  been  mixed  up  with  others,  the  controversy 
which  it  has  awakened  might  have  been  speedily 
settled.  ,  But  the  immense  increase  of  the  Israelites 
during  the  Egyptian  sojourn  has  made  many  wel- 
come the  longer  period  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  has  seemed  to  others  that,  unless  the  430  years 
are  understood  as  covering  the  entire  period  from  the 
calling  of  Abraham  to  the  delivery  of  Israel  from 
Egyptian  bondage,  this  part  of  the  chronology  would. 
be  thrown  into  confusion. 


1 66  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God — xii.  40 — xiii.  22. 

In  settling  the  question  little  help  is  to  be  had 
from  "  authorities."  These  are  found  upon  both 
sides.  Our  earliest  authority,  the  Greek  translation, 
called  the  Septuagint,  shows  that  learned  Hebrew 
opinion  in  300  B.C.  held  the  latter  opinion.  It 
renders  the  passage  thus :  "  The  sojourning  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  which  they  sojourned  in  the  land 
of  Egypt  and  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  was  430  years." 
The  addition,  "  in  the  land  of  Canaan,"  is  made  to 
show  that  the  430  years  are  not  to  be  understood  as 
applying  merely  to  the  sojourn  in  Egypt.  The 
Targum  of  Onkelos,  on  the  other  hand,  takes  the 
430  as  the  duration  of  the  Egyptian  sojourn  ;  while 
the  Targum  of  Jerusalem  says  :  "And  the  days  of  the 
dwelling  of  the  sons  of  Israel  in  Mizraim  (Egypt) 
were  thirty  weeks  of  years,  which  is  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  and  ten  years."  Here,  as  we  shall  im- 
mediately see,  the  time  from  the  calling  of  Abraham 
to  Jacob's  entering  into  Egypt  is  deducted  from  the 
430,  leaving  210,  or  30  sevens  of  years.  The  opinions 
of  the  learned,  since  the  days  of  the  Targums,  have 
been  mere  repetitions  of  these  two  views. 

Is  it  possible,  then,  for  us  to  come  to  a  decision  in 
the  face  of  those  differences.  There  is  one  ordinarily 
safe  way  which  we  may  at  least  try.  It  is  to  read 
carefully  the  words  of  the  Scripture.  The  Revised 
Version  translates  :  "  Now  the  sojourning  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  which  they  sojourned  in  Egypt  was  430 
years."  Here,  asher,  "who,"  or  "which,"  isappHed 
to  the  "  sojourning "  instead  of  "  the  children  of 
Israel."     But  why  should  that  special  sojourning  be 


Preparations  for  the  Journey.  167 

thus  separated  from  the  rest  and  numbered  ?  Other 
sojourning,  besides  that  in  Egypt,  is  plainly  implied, 
seeing  that  this  is  distinguished  as  the  Egyptian 
sojourn  :  why,  then,  is  nothing  whatever  said  of  its 
duration?  That  rendering  raises  questionings  to 
which  the  text  has  no  answer ;  and  the  conclusion  is 
inevitable  that,  if  this  had  been  the  meaning,  an 
answer  would  have  been  given.  Besides,  too,  if  the 
intention  had  been  to  say  how  long  the  stay  in 
Egypt  had  lasted,  nothing  was  easier  than  to  express 
that  in  words  which  could  not  have  been  misunder- 
stood. It  would  have  been  enough  to  have  said : 
"  The  sojourning  of  the  children  of  Israel  in  Egypt 
was  430  years."  And,  seeing  that  such  a  statement 
is  not  made,  it  is  plain  that  it  is  not  this  but  some- 
thing else  which  is  to  be  told  us.  Those  first  words, 
"  the  sojourning  of  the  children  of  Israel,"  appear  to 
remind  us  of  the  fact  that  they  had  been  waiting  for 
their  inheritance /yom  the  first.  It  was  promised  to 
Abraham  before  he  left  Ur ;  but  he  and  all  his  de- 
scendants have  been  till  now  dwellers  in  lands  that 
are  not  theirs.  We  surely  must  expect,  then,  that  it 
is  this  long  waiting,  and  not  any  one  part  of  it,  that 
is  to  find  its  expression  in  years.  But  what,  then,  of 
the  phrase,  "  Who  sojourned  in  Egypt  "  ?  Is  it  not  to 
remind  us  that,  though  the  best  of  the  land  was 
given  them  there,  they  were  only  sojourners  still  ? 
Not  even  under  Joseph,  and  in  the  full  favour  of  the 
Pharaoh  whom  he  served,  had  Israel  got  that  good 
land  which  had  been  promised  to  the  fathers.* 

*  See  New  Biblical  Guide,  vol.  iii.,  p.  gfi. 


1 68  Excdus — Redeemed  with  God— xii.  40 — xiii.  22. 

But  it  is  in  their  connection  with  what  follows 
that  we  fully  understand  the  message  of  those  words. 
The  time  when  the  Divine  call  had  come  to  Abraham 
was  evidently  known  to  Israel ;  and  now  they  recog- 
nised the  fact  that  the  prediction  had  been  kept  to 
the  letter.  Thirty  years  apparently  passed  between 
the  calling  of  Abraham  and  the  birth  of  Isaac ;  and 
it  had  been  revealed  to  Abraham  that  the  sojourning 
of  his  seed  was  to  endure  for  four  hundred  years 
(Genesis  xv.  13).  And  now,  though  in  their  distress 
they  had  seemed  to  call  upon  God  in  vain,  He  had 
kept  faith  with  them.  The  promise  was  kept  to  the 
letter.  "And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  the  four 
hundred  and  thirty  years,  even  the  selfsame  day  it 
came  to  pass,  that  all  the  hosts  of  the  Lord  went 
out  from  the  land  of  Egypt  "  (verse  41).  There  was 
a  consecration  in  the  recognition  of  that  fulfilment, 
which  Israel  was  to  receive  throughout  all  its  genera- 
tions : 

"A  night  of  watchings  it  is  to  Jehovah  for  the 
bringing  of  them  forth  from  the  land  of  Egypt : 
this  is  the  night  of  watchings  to  Jehovah  for 
ali  the  children  of  Israel  throughout  their 
generations  "  (verse  42). 

Naturally,  therefore,  complete  instructions  for  the 
proper  observance  of  the  feast  in  coming  years  are 
now  placed  on  record.  It  is  to  be  Israel's  festival.  No 
stranger's  presence  is  to  disturb  the  conviction  that 
all  who  are  there  in  Jehovah's  presence  are  His  re- 
deemed ones.  The  stranger  is  not  absolutely  excluded. 
There  is  a  place  for  him  also  if  he  will  seek  it.    If  he 


Preparations  for  the  Journey.  169 

and  his  will  consent  to  be  circumcised  and  so  come 
into  Abraham's  covenant  with  God,  he  and  his  may 
enter.  Surrounded  by  strangers  in  Egypt,  the  Israel- 
ites had  been  already  warned  that  the  feast  was  for 
the  circumcised  alone  ;  and  though  relations  with 
those  without  must  in  many  cases  have  made 
obedience  hard,  yet  the  Divine  command  v/as  faith- 
fully kept. 

"And  all  the  children  of  Israel  did  as  Jehovah 
commanded  Moses  and  Aaron,  so  did  they.  And 
it  came  to  pass  in  this  selfsame  day,  that  Jehovah 
brought  forth  the  children  of  Israel  from  the 
land  of  Egypt  by  their  armies  "  (verses  50,  51). 

To  the  faithful,  God  revealed  the  marvellousness  of 
His  fidelity. 

And  now  Israel  is  to  yield  still  further  fruit  to 
God :  the  firstborn  are  to  be  consecrated  to  God 
throughout  all  their  generations.  The  record  of  this 
is  put  in  striking  fashion.  The  command  is  given  to 
Moses.  He,  the  mediator,  is  to  accomplish  this  jj-eat 
service.  The  people  are,  as  it  were,  to  be  passive ; 
and  Moses  is  to  supply  the  active  force  which  shall 
produce  that  long-enduring  consecration.  Chap.  xiii. 
opens  thus : 

"And  Jehovah  spake  to  Moses,  saying,  Con- 
secrate thou  to  Me  every  firstborn  .  .  .  among 
the  children  of  Israel,  both  of  man  and  of  beast: 
it  is  Mine  "  (verses  i,  2). 

And  now,  let  it  be  noticed  that,  though  Moses  speaks 
immediately  to  the  people,  he  does  not  at  once  speak 
of  the  command  which  he  has  just  received.     He 


170  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God— xii.  40— xiii.  22. 

asks  them  first  of  all  to  keep  that  day  of  deliverance 
perpetually  before  them.  In  memory  of  it  the  feast 
of  unleavened  bread  is  to  be  rigorously  observed : 
"  There  shall  no  leavened  bread  be  eaten  "  (verse  3). 
When  they  pass  into  the  land  of  the  Canaanite  and 
of  the  rest  of  the  peoples  whom  God  will  dispossess 
before  them,  that  feast  shall  be  taken  with  them. 
There,  too,  "  unleavened  bread  shall  be  eaten  seven 
days  ;  and  there  shall  no  leavened  bread  be  seen  with 
thee  in  all  thy  quarters  "  (ver.  7).  In  the  feast-time 
also,  when  the  mind  of  the  young  is  both  touched 
with  the  solemnity  of  the  time,  and  filled  with  in- 
quiry, the  head  of  the  household  is  to  tell  the  children 
the  story  of  Israel's  miraculous  and  merciful  deliver- 
ance, and  so  to  place  it  among  the  holiest  and  niost 
abiding  memories  of  the  succeeding  age.  And, 
having  thus  prepared  the  way,  Moses  makes  known 
the  demand  for  the  consecration  of  the  firstborn. 
The  redeemed  land  is  to  witness  the  placing  of  this 
fruit  upon  God's  altar  by  His  redeemed  people ;  and 
amidst  the  solemnity  of  this  service  also  the  father 
is  to  explain  to  his  son  how,  "  When  Pharaoh  would 
hardly  let  us  go,  the  Lord  slew  all  the  firstborn  in  the 
land  of  Egypt,  both  the  firstborn  of  man  and  the 
firstborn  of  beast :  therefore  I  sacrifice  to  the  Lord 
all  that  openeth  the  matrix,  being  males  ;  but  all 
the  firstborn  of  my  children  I  redeem."  Thus  was 
Israel's  mission  passed  on  from  age  to  age.  The 
right  moment  was  cliosen,  and  the  right  words  were 
said ;  and  the  young  of  even  far-distant  generations 
were  brought,  as  it  were,  into  actual  contact  with 


Preparations  for  the  Journey.  171 

the  events  of  that  dread  but  glorious  night,  when 
Israel's  bondage  and  shame  rolled  off  them  like  a 
dream.  There  is  light  there  for  all  who  desire  to 
know  what  the  command  means  to  bring  up  children 
in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  And 
there  is  more.  We  see  how  the  work  of  the  great 
Mediator  between  God  and  man  is  done.  It  is  His 
also  to  consecrate  God's  redeemed,  so  that  they 
shall  be  the  Lord's  in  very  truth.  We  keep  the  feast 
with  the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity  and  truth  in 
the  midst  of  the  Canaanite,  the  Hittite,  the  Amorite, 
the  Hivite,  and  the  Jebusite.  We  dwell  hard  by  the 
cross,  with  vivid  recollections  of  that  deliverance  that 
changed  all  things  for  us.  And  thus  and  there  the 
consecrating  power  will  fall.  The  Lord's  hand  will 
be  laid  upon  us,  and  the  fruits  of  His  suffering  will 
be  laid  upon  God's  altar. 

Could  there  be  a  more  fitting  introduction  to  this 
greatest  Section  of  the  Book  of  Exodus — *'  The 
Redeemed  with  God  "  ?  And  here  commences  the 
story  of  the  march  to  Sinai.  The  first  question 
a  reader  asks  is,  why  that  route  was  taken.  Canaan 
lay  to  the  north,  and  yet,  nevertheless,  the  Israelites 
are  turned  away  and  led  to  the  south.  An  explana- 
tion is  now  given  (verse  17).  "  God  led  them  not  by 
the  way  of  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  though  that 
was  near:  for  God  said.  Lest  peradventure  the 
people  repent  when  they  see  war,  and  they  return  to 
Egypt :  but  God  led  the  people  about  through  the 
way  of  the  wilderness  of  the  Red  Sea"  (verses  17, 18). 
Therr  was  mercy  in  the  disappointment.     And  the 


172  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1— xv.  21. 

disappointment  was  only  temporary.  They  were 
"  led  about,"  but  their  destination  was  still  "  the 
land";  and  of  that  one  indication  was  given.  Moses 
takes  the  bones  of  Joseph  to  give  them  sepulture 
there,  thus  keeping  faith  with  the  dead  as  well  as 
with  the  living  (verse  19).  And,  best  of  all,  a  proof 
is  given  that  in  this  strange  way  God  Himself  is 
Guide : — 

"  And  they  departed  from  Succoth  and  pitched 
their  camp  in  Etham,  on  the  edge  of  the  wilder- 
ness. And  Jehovah  was  going  on  before  them 
by  day  in  a  pillar  of  cloud  to  lead  them  in  the 
way,  and  at  night  in  a  pillar  of  fire  to  give  them 
light  for  their  going  by  day  and  by  night" 
(verses  20,  21.) 

And  these  symbols  of  the  Divine  presence  with 
them  had  come  to  stay.  If  they  were  ever  missed 
by  a  single  Israelite,  it  was  because  that  Israelite 
was  out  of  the  way. 

"  He  did  not  withdraw  the  pillar  of  the  cloud 
by  day,  nor  the  pillar  of  the  fire  by  night  from 
before  the  people"  (verse  22). 


CHAPTER    II. 

The  Passage  Through  the  Sea 

(XIV.  I.— XV.  21). 

THERE  are  questions  regarding  the  Passover,  the 
Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread,  and  alleged  repeti- 
'tions,  the  consideration  of  all  of  which  we  postpone 


The  Passage  Through  the  Sea.  173 

until  we  have  reached  the  end  of  the  Section.  We 
meanwhile  follow  to  its  close,  at  the  foot  of  Sinai, 
this  first  momentous  journey  of  Israel.  At  that  time 
and  for  ages  afterward,  the  Red  Sea  extended  north- 
ward beyond  Suez  between  sixty  and  eighty  miles. 
Passing  out  from  Succoth,  and  marching  in  a  north- 
easterly direction,  the  Israelites  had  passed  the  then 
head  of  the  gulf,  and  had  encamped  on  the  edge  of 
the  wilderness  that  stretched  between  them  and  the 
south  of  Palestine.  It  was  a  well-trodden  route. 
The  caravans  of  the  merchants  passed  over  those 
sands  continually,  and  the  hosts  of  the  Pharaohs 
had  often  crossed  them  as  they  set  forth  upon  their 
eastern  campaigns.  It  seemed  the  most  natural  of 
all  things  that,  when  the  pillar  of  the  Divine  presence 
passed  on  before  them,  this  well-known  route  should 
be  taken.  What  other  way  could  be  thought  of  for 
travellers  to  Canaan  ? 

But  Israel  here  experienced  one  of  those  surprises 
that  remind  those  whom  God  leads  that  He  is  the 
planner  of  their  way. 

"  And  Jehovah  spoke  to  Moses  saying,  Speak 
to  the  children  of  Israel,  and  let  them  return  and 
encamp  before  Pi-hakhiroth,  between  Migdol 
and  the  sea,  before  Baal-tsephon  :  over  against 
it  shall  ye  encamp  by  the  sea  "  (verses  i,  2). 

A  reason  is  given  for  this  apparent  change  of  plan. 
Terrible  as  Egypt's  chastisement  has  been,  some- 
thing more  is  still  needed  to  humble  Egypt  under 
the  felt  hand  of  God,  and  to  banish  from  Israel 
all   fear  of   molestation.     There   was    one    part   of 


174  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God — xiv.  1— xv.  21. 

Egypt's  strength,  and  their  chief  glory,  which  had  so 
far  escaped.  Their  triumphant  army  had  not  been 
touched.  Moses  is  told  that,  when  Pharaoh's  spies 
carry  the  tidings  to  Tanis  that  the  Israelites  have 
gone  down  by  the  Egyptian  shore,  it  will  seem  to  the 
king  that  the  hour  of  vengeance  has  come.  A  force 
advancing  rapidly  upon  the  rear  of  the  Israelites  will 
block  their  only  way  of  escape,  and  so  the  helpless 
multitude  will  be  at  his  mercy.  All  happened  as  God 
had  foretold.  Pharaoh  and  his  counsellors  become 
suddenly  alive  to  their  folly  in  having  permitted 
Israel  to  go.  But  here  is  their  opportunity  to  redeem 
the  error !  The  forces  are  summoned  in  hot  haste. 
The  king  and  the  nobles  arm  and  mount  their 
chariots.  Besides  the  chariot  force  of  the  conquerors 
of  Lower  Egypt,  the  chariots  of  Northern  Egypt 
are  brought  forth.  These,  with  the  horsemen, 
appear  to  have  hurried  on  in  advance  to  prevent  the 
escape  of  the  Israelites,  and  were  closely  followed  by 
the  Egyptian  infantry.  We  have  another  mark  of 
the  time  when  this  Book  was  written  in  the  words  of 
verse  7,  translated  "captains  over  every  one  of  them." 
The  word  rendered  "Captains"  is  Shalishim,  "thirty." 
We  now  know  that  the  King's  Council  was  composed 
of  thirty  nobles,  and  that  each  of  them  was  called 
Mapu,  "a  thirty  man."  These  nobles  were  placed 
in  command  of  the  chariots  of  Lower  Egypt.  "  The 
Shalishim  were  over  all  of  it "  (the  chariot  force). 

When  the  Israelites  saw  the  foe  advancing  upon 
them,  they  gave  themselves  up  for  lost.  The 
Egyptians  found  them  resting  in  their  camp.     They 


The   Passage  Through   the  Sea.  175 

had  taken  no  precautions  against  assault.  Not  a 
trench  was  dug,  nor  was  one  protecting  wall  raised 
between  them  and  the  foe.  No  one  had  dreamed 
that,  after  so  peaceable  and  triumphant  an  exit, 
Egypt  would  have  pursued  them  with  hostile  intent; 
and  now  their  imagined  security  had  been  their 
undoing !  The  enemy  was  upon  them  in  over- 
powering force,  and  resistance  and  flight  were  alike 
impossible.  But  had  they  not  one  unfailing  Helper  ? 
Surely,  of  all  men  that  ever  lived,  these  would  have 
been  the  first  to  say: — 

"A  safe  stronghold  our  God  is  still, 
A  trusty  shield  and  weapon  ; 
He'll  help  us  clear  from  all  the  ill 
That  hath  us  now  o'ertaken." 

But  of  the  living  God  Israel  has  seemingly  no 
thought.  They  conclude  that  their  destruction  is 
certain  ;  and  they  use  the  few  moments  left  them  to 
pour  maledictions  upon  the  head  of  the  man  who  has 
led  them  into  this  death-trap.  The  scene  augured 
badly  for  this  time  of  trial  upon  which  Israel  was  now 
entering.  Moses  strove  to  reassure  them,  and  to  sow 
the  seed  of  hope  in  the  very  heart  of  fear. 

"  And  Moses  said  to  the  people,  Fear  not, 
stand  firm,  and  see  the  salvation  of  Jehovah 
which  He  will  work  for  you  to-day  :  for  the 
Egyptians  whom  ye  have  seen  to-day,  ye  shall 
not  again  see  them  any  more  for  ever.  Jehovah 
will  fight  for  you,  and  ye  shall  keep  silence" 
(verses  13,  14). 
That   is,  the  victory  would   be  won  without   their 


176  Exdous— Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1— xv.  21. 

raising  a  single  shout,  or  wasting  even  so  much  as  a 

breath. 

Evidently  Moses,  while  assuring  the  people,  had 

been  lifting  his  heart  to  God ;  for  the  next  words  we 

read  are  these  : — 

"  And  Jehovah  said  to  Moses,  Why  dost  thou 
cry  out  to  Me  ?  Speak  to  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  let  them  break  up  their  camp  "  (verse  15J, 

They  were  not  to  flee  and  leave  cattle,  tents,  and 
baggage  behind  them,  and  so  deprive  themselves 
of  comfort,  convenience,  and  even  subsistence  in 
the  wilderness.  No ;  even  in  the  face  of  that 
confident  pursuit  every  arrangement  is  to  be  gone 
through  for  orderly  departure,  and  all  that  Egypt 
has  given  them  they  are  to  carry  away  with  them. 
And  as  they  thus  go  onward  in  the  obedience  of 
faith,  their  way  is  being  opened — a  marvellous  way 
such  as  till  then  men's  feet  had  never  trod.  Moses' 
staff  was  stretched  out  over  the  sea;  and  immediately 
a  vehement  east  wind  made  answer.  All  that  night 
it  laboured  on,  hewing  out  and  drying  a  pathway  for 
them  through  the  depths.  But  what  of  the  Egyptians 
during  those  long  hours  of  preparation  ?  Have  they 
not  had  time  enough  to  visit  Israel  with  a  fearful 
overthrow  ?  But  nothing  has  been  overlooked  that 
concerns  Israel's  safety.  God  Himself  has  become 
their  rear-guard. 

"And  the  angel  of  God,  who  was  going  before 
the  camp  of  Israel,  removed  and  went  behind 
them ;  and  the  pillar  of  the  cloud  removed 
from  before  them,  and  stood  behind  them.  And 


The  Passage  Through  the  Sea.  177 

it  went  between  the  camp  of  the  Egyptians  and 
the  camp  of  Israel ;  and  there  was  the  cloud 
and  the  darkness  (to  the  one),  and  the  night 
shone  (to  the  other),  and  the  one  came  not  nigh 
to  the  other  all  the  night"  (verses  19,  20). 

The  Egyptians,  though  they  could  not  see  the  Israel- 
ites, no  doubt  heard  them  advancing,  and  madly  fol- 
lowed. First  there  came  deepening  calamity  which 
awoke  once  more  the  conviction  that  God  was 
fi^bting  for  Israel.  Then  the  Egyptians  turned  and 
fled.  But  it  was  too  late.  They  had  come  there  to 
die.  The  sea  returned  in  its  strength  ;  and  Pharaoh 
and  his  Shalishim,  and  his  chariots,  and  his  host^ 
perished  utterly.  Not  a  man  escaped.  We  can 
understand  the  joy  that  poured  itself  out  before  God 
in  the  glorious  words  of  Moses'  song,  and  how  the 
praises  of  those  millions  rose  and  swelled  again  in 
answer  to  the  call  of  Miriam  and  the  daughters  of 
Israel  (xv.  1-21). 

If  the  story  could  have  ended  there,  we  should 
have  felt  that  it  ended  rightly:  but  we  enter  here 
upon  the  hideous  self-revelation  of  a  carnal  people 
whom  no  manifestation  of  mercy  could  lead  into 
restful  trust.  They  took  their  journey  southward, 
and  marched  three  days  and  found  no  water.  Let 
us  admit  that  so  far  their  faith  had  not  failed  under 
what  was  no  slight  trial.  But  when  they  came  to 
Marah,  and,  rushing  to  the  wells,  found  only  bitter, 
and  therefore  undrinkable,.  water,  endurance  and 
trust  were  at  an  end.  They  "  murmured  against 
Moses,  saying,  What  shall  we  drink"?  (verse  24). 


178  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xiv.  I — x^.  21. 

The  limitation  of  their  view  is  startling.  We  should 
have  imagined  thut,  after  those  wonders  in  Egypt, 
and  that  glorious  deliverance  at  the  Red  Sea,  the 
truth  would  have  been  mdeliblj'  graven  upon  the 
heart  of  Israel  that  God  Himself  was  with  them  in 
very  truth.  But  here  there  is  no  recognition  of  God 
whatever.  They  speak  as  if  they  had  to  do  with 
Moses  only.  He  is  treated  as  the  planner  of  their 
way,  and  as  being  personally  responsible  for  having 
chosen  a  route  destitute  of  a  proper  water  supply. 
Moses  takes  his  trouble  whither  they  should  have 
carried  theirs.  He  cried  unto  Jehovah,  and  lo,  the 
answer  to  their  need  lay  at  hand.  "And  Jehovah 
showed  him  a  tree,  which,  when  he  had  cast  into  the 
waters,  the  waters  were  made  sweet "  (verse  25). 
Their  next  stage  was  Elim,  where  they  had  abun- 
dance of  waters  and  a  place  of  rest.  There  had 
been  no  blundering  in  the  planning  of  their  way.  It 
is  true  that  the  waters  of  Marah  were  bitter ;  but  the 
streams  of  Elim  were  sweet  and  abundant,  and  there 
were  days  of  rest  for  them  at  that  oasis  of  the 
desert.  God  had  been  leading  them  thither  by  the 
straight  and  speediest  way,  and  Marah  and  the  three 
days'  travel  without  water  were  only  incidents  of 
the  journey.  "And  they  encamped  there  by  the 
waters"  (xv.  27). 

A  reference  to  The  New  Biblical  Guide*  will  show 
how  fully  the  Scripture  has  enabled  us  to  accompany 
the  Israelites  upon  their  march.  They  passed  down 
from  Elim  to  the  sea,  and  came  to  the  wilderness  of 


The  Passage  through  the  Sea.  179 

Sin  (xvi.  i).  Here  they  met  a  heavier  trial.  The 
bread  and  flour,  which  they  had  taken  with  them 
from  Egypt,  were  now  exhausted;  and  how,  they 
asked,  was  this  vast  multitude  to  be  fed  ?  If  their 
march  had  been  taking  them  to  some  inhabited 
country,  a  few  days'  privation  might  have  been  borne 
with  fortitude.  But  they  were  moving  farther  and 
farther  away  from  every  locality  of  the  kind  ;  and 
each  day  saw  them  marching  deeper  into  this  land 
of  desolation  and  death.  There  seems  thus  to  have 
been  a  quite  sufficient  reasonableness  in  the  outbreak 
which  now  occurred.  But  that  semblance  of  reason 
exists  only  so  long  as  our  outlook  remains  as  limited 
as  theirs.  Theirs  is  practical,  and  inexcusable, 
atheism.  They  have  with  them  the  pillar  of  cloud 
by  day  and  of  fire  by  night ;  and  nevertheless  there 
is  no  thought  of  God  !  He  is  guiding  them  visibly ; 
and  yet  no  man  seems  to  reflect  that  He  cannot 
possibly  be  guiding  them  wrongly.  And  yet  who  are 
we  that  we  should  judge  them  ?  God  leads  us  by 
like  paths,  and  with  the  same  purpose,  that  we  may 
learn  to  know  our  own  hearts,  and  His  boundless 
power  and  .unfailing  mercy.  Just  as  now,  so  then, 
God  rebuked  doubt  by  the  marvels  of  His  providence. 
He  rained  down  bread  to  them,  and  the  winds 
brought  quails,  reckoned  among  the  delicacies  of 
Egypt,  into  their  camp.  Let  it  be  noticed  that, 
though  those  murmurings  were  rebuked,  they  were 
not  punished.  We  shall  witness  by-and-bye  swift 
and  terrible  vengeance;  but  we  have  first  to  mark 
the  long-suffering  of  Jehovah, 


l8o  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1— xv.  2L 

This  forbearance  is  equally  manifest  in  the  third 
provocation.  The  people  were  now  (xvii.)  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Sinai.  They  had  pitched  in 
Rephidim,  and  no  water  was  to  be  had  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  camp.  What  ought  a  necessity  of 
that  kind  to  have  proclaimed  to  this  God-led  people? 
If  the  failing  of  the  bread  at  Sin  had  been  but  the 
first  chapter  in  that  marvellous  story  of  the  Manna, 
was  not  this  absence  of  water  but  the  beginning  of 
another  revelation  of  God's  glory?  Nevertheless 
Israel  has  no  expectation;  it  has  bitter  disappoint- 
ment and  venomous  abuse — not  of  God  ;  God  is  not 
in  all  their  thoughts,  but— of  Moses. 

"And  the   people   thirsted   there  for  water; 

and  the  people  murmured  against  Moses.    And 

they  said,  Why  is  this  ?     Thou  hast  caused  us 

to  go  up  from  Egypt,  to  kill  me  and  my  son  and 

my  cattle  with  thirst"  (verse  3). 

The  words,  "  Me  and  my  son,"  etc.,   indicate  the 

sharpness  of  the  reproach  which  was  poured  upon 

Moses  as  he  passed  through  the  camp,  or  to  which 

he  had  to  listen  when  he  was  called  to  his  tent-door 

by  the  multitude.    One  individual  after  another  flung 

that  charge  of  intended  murder   at  the  man  who 

spent  himself  in   their  service.     Let   us  note   that 

Moses  makes  no  answer  to  those  reproaches.     His 

Rnguish  drives  him  to  prayer. 

"And  Moses  cried  out  to  Jehovah,  saying, 
What  shall  I  do  for  this  people  ?  A  little  while 
longer  and  they  will  stone  me  I  And  Jehovah 
said  to  Moses,  Pass  over  before  the  people,  and 


The  Passage  through  the  Sea.  i8i 

take  with  thee  some  of  the  elders  of  Israel ; 
and  thy  rod,  with  which  thou  didst  smite  the 
Nile,  take  in  thy  hand,  and  go  "  (verses  4,  5). 

And  thus  from  the  rock  in  Horeb,  symbol  of  the 
Everlasting  God,  smitten  with  the  rod  of  Egypt's 
judgment,  the  life-giving  water  gushed  forth,  and  the 
perishing  were  saved.  And  how  come  another  peril 
for  Israel  and  another  call  for  faith  in  God.  Amalek 
puts  his  hand  upon  God's  throne,  that  is  being  raised 
upon  the  earth,  in  the  impious  endeavour  to  over- 
throw it.  The  chosen  men  of  Israel,  under  the 
leadership  of  Joshua,  prevail,  after  a  long  struggle, 
through  the  persistent  intercession  of  Moses.  Amalek 
is  put  to  flight,  and  the  way  is  now  open  to  Sinai. 
But  before  Israel  passes  on  to  that  resting  place, 
God's  much-tried  servant  has  to  be  comforted. 
Jethro,  the  high-priest  of  Midian,  and  brother-in-law 
of  Moses,  meets  him  in  Rephidim,  bringing  with 
him  his  sister  Zipporah,  Moses'  wife,  and  their  two 
sons.  He  brought  with  him  also  a  wise  head  and  a 
heart  that  sympathised  deeply  with  the  man  of  God, 
and  he  left  with  Moses  a  lightened  burden  and  a 
cheered  and  strengthened  spirit.  Judges  were  ap- 
pointed to  deal  with  the  multitude  of  petty  cases, 
the  hearing  of  which  had  been  consuming  the  time 
and  strength  of  Moses. 

"And  they  judged  the   people  at  all  proper 

times.     The  difficult  cases  they  sent  to  Moses  ; 

and  all  the  small  cases  they  themselves  judged. 

And  Moses  let  Jethro  go,  and  he  went  to  his 

own  land"  (xviii.  26,  27). 


1 82  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1  — xv.  21. 

CHAPTER   III. 

The  Passover  and  the  Feast  of  Unleavened 
Bread  :   Institutions  of  the  Exodus. 

THE  survey  of  the  Section  which  we  have  just 
concluded  will  convince  the  reader  that  no 
narrative  could  possibly  bear  clearer  marks  of  its 
being  the  work  of  one  writer.  The  Section  tells  one 
continuous  story.  The  story  is  told  in  the  clear, 
vivid,  direct,  style  natural  to  one  who  has  learned 
nothing  from  hearsay,  but  who  has  been  a  witness 
of  the  events,  and  a  participator  in  the  experiences, 
which  it  records ;  and,  above  all,  the  narrative 
breathes  from  first  to  last  the  same  spirit.  The 
most  strenuous  attempts,  however,  have  been  made 
to  prove  that  it  is  a  compilation  from  various  docu- 
ments; and  that  it  has  been  added  to,  and  altered, 
to  suit  the  views  of  various  editors,  and  to  meet  the 
supposed  necessities  of  different  times.  Into  any 
discussion  of  the  various  fragments  which  the  critics 
set  before  us,  it  would  be  profitless  to  enter.  And 
such  discussion  is  also  unuecessaiy.  It  is  enough  to 
ask  the  workers  of  all  this  havoc  why  they  ftincy 
themselves  compelled  to  cut  up  and  to  re-arrauge  in 
that  extraordinary  fashion.  Wc  want  to  know  their 
reasons  for  believing  that  Exodus  is  not  the  unity 
which  the  Jewish  people  and  the  Christian  Church 
have  believed  and  taught  that  it  is.    If  those  reasons 


The  Feast  of  Unleavened   Bread.        183 

are  good,  we  may  then  inspect  and  pronounce  judg- 
ment upon  their  handiwork;  but  if  there  is  no 
soundness  in  their  alleged  reasons,  we  may  save  our- 
selves the  trouble  of  arguing  over,  or  even  inspecting, 
fragments  of  the  sacred  text  which  ought  never  to 
have  been  torn  from  the  record  in  which  the  critics 
found  them. 

They  imagine,  however,  that  here  they  are  specially 
strong.  There  is,  they  say,  such  evident  confusion 
in  the  communications  about  the  Passover,  and  the 
Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread  connected  with  it,  and 
there  are  in  these  so  many  undeniable  repetitions 
that  it  is  quite  impossible  that  all  could  have  pro- 
ceeded from  one  author,  or  have  been  written  at  one 
time. 

I.  Holzinger,  for  example,  alleges  that  there  is  a 
confusion  between  the  14th  and  the  15th  Nisan.  On 
xii.  17,  &c.,  he  "writes:  "The  first  day  of  the  Feast 
of  Unleavened  Bread,  the  15th  Nisan,  is  thrown 
together  with  the  Passover,  the  14th  Nisan  ;  such  an 
entanglement  can  only  be  attributed  to  a  revision."* 
There  is  certainly  confusion  here  ;  but  it  is  in  the 
criticism,  and  not  in  the  Scripture.  The/east  of  the 
Passover  did  not  begin  on  the  14th  Nisan.  The 
lamb  was,  indeed,  to  be  slain  "  between  the  two 
evenings  "  of  the  14th,  that  is,  between  3  p.m.  and 
5  p.m.  But  this  slaying  of  the  lamb,  and  the  putting 
of  the  blood  upon  the  doorway,  were  not  the  festival : 
they  were  merely  the  preparations  for  it.  The  feast 
itself  began  when  the  Israelites  were  gathered  within 

'  S.  34^ 


184  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1— xv.  21. 

around  the  festal  board ;  and  before  that  board  was 
ready  the  lamb  had  to  be  "  roast  with  fire."  This 
necessary  preparation  took  time,  and  the  night  was 
already  begun  before  the  feast  of  the  Passover  com- 
menced. That  night  was  the  beginning  of  the  15th 
Nisan.  Just  as  now  the  Jewish  Sabbath  begins  with 
Friday  at  nightfall,  and  ends  with  Saturday  at  night- 
fall, so  nightfall  of  the  14th  Nisan  was  the  beginning 
of  the  15th  Nisan.  The  lamb  was  slain  on  the  14th, 
but  the  Passover  feast — the  partaking  of  the  lamb — 
took  place  after  6  p.m.  of  the  14th,  which  formed  the 
beginning  of  the  15th  Nisan.  A  careful  reading  of 
the  Scripture  would  have  entirely  prevented  ,this 
misconception.  In  verse  18  we  read:  "In  the  first 
month,  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month,  at  even,  ye 
shall  eat  unleavened  bread."  Compare  that  with 
Leviticus  xxiii.  5,  6,  and  the  order  and  relationship 
of  the  two  feasts  will  be  perfectly  clear:  "In  the 
14th  day  of  the  first  month  at  even  is  the  Lord's 
Passover.  And  on  the  15th  day  of  the  same  month 
is  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  unto  the  Lord." 
The  Passover  introduced  the  feast  of  unleavened 
bread.  It  was  the  solemn  memorial  act  in  which 
the  unleavened  bread  was  first  partaken  of.  The 
Passover  v/as  the  memorial  of  God's  mercy,  and  the 
feast  of  unleavened  bread  was  emblematic  of  the 
reply  of  the  redeemed  to  that  meicy.  Israel,  saved 
by  God,  was  thereby  separated  and  consecrated  unto 
God.  But  how  much  of  all  this  far-reaching  symbolism 
will  be  left  for  those  who  accept  the  higher  criticism? 
2.  Another  so-called  contradiction,  "proving"  that 


The  Feast  of  Unleavened   Bread.         185 

the  Book  has  been  made  up  of  extracts  from  different 
documents,  is  said  to  be  found  in  the  following  state- 
ments. In  xii.  22  the  Israelites  are  told  :  "  None  of 
you  shall  go  out  at  the  door  of  his  house  until  the 
morning."  But  in  verse  31  we  read  that  it  was  at 
'•  night "  that  Pharaoh's  command  was  issued : 
"  Rise  up,  and  get  you  forth  from  among  the  people  " ; 
and  it  is  also  plain  that  they  marched  at  night ;  for 
verse  42  runs  thus :  "  It  is  a  night  to  be  much 
observed  (or  a  night  of  watchings)  unto  the  Lord  for 
bringing  them  out  from  the  land  of  Egypt :  this  is 
that  night  of  the  Lord  to  be  observed  of  all  the 
children  of  Israel  in  their  generations."  To  the 
superficial  reader  this  charge  may  seem  to  be  well 
founded ;  but  no  man  worthy  to  be  called  a  scholar 
could  be  imposed  upon  by  a  statement  of  the  kind. 
When  was  it  that  Pharaoh  issued  his  order  for  the 
release  of  the  Israelites  ?  After  the  discovery  of 
the  death  of  the  firstborn.  And  when  did  the  first- 
born of  Egypt  die?  At  midnight!  The  order  was 
issued,  therefore,  when  the  morning  had  actually 
begun.  We  speak  continually  of  one  o'clock  or  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning;  but,  it  will  be  asked,  does 
the  Scripture  use  the  word  "  morning  "  in  that  sense  ? 
Does  it  apply  the  term  to  those  hours  after  midnight 
when  the  darkness  still  continues  as  well  as  to  those 
in  which  the  light  breaks  and  brightens  ?  No  real 
student  of  the  Scripture  has  any  hesitation  in  giving 
an  affirmative  reply.  We  read,  for  example,  that 
Ruth  lay  at  the  feet  of  Boaz  "until  the  morning; 
and  she  rose  up  before  one  could  know  another." 


1 86  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1 — xv.  21. 

The  darkness,  therefore,  largely  continued.  In  Mark 
i-  35>  we  are  told  that  "  in  the  morning,"  our  Lord, 
"  rising  up  a  great  while  before  day,"  went  out  '*  into  a 
solitary  place,  and  there  prayed  " ;  and,  again,  in 
John  XX.  I,  we  learn  that  on  "  the  first  day  of  the  week," 
Mary  Magdalene  went  "  early,  when  it  was  yet  dark, 
unto  the  sepulchre."  Not  only  the  morning,  but 
even  the  day  itself,  began  in  the  darkness.  It  began, 
indeed,  with  the  Israelites  as  it  begins  with  ourselves, 
when  midnight  is  past.  And,  nevertheless,  this  so- 
called  "  science "  imagines  that  it  can  justify  its 
rending  of  the  Scriptures  by  blunders  as  gross  as 
these ! 

3.  Another  "  inconsistency,"  which,  at  a  first 
glance,  may  seem  to  be  better  founded,  is  the  alleged 
lack  of  harmony  between  Pharaoh's  forbidding 
Moses  to  see  his  face  again  (x.  28)  and  his  "  calling 
for  Moses  and  Aaron  by  night "  (xii.  31).  If  Pharaoh's 
mind  was  changed,  was  the  Scripture  to  be  forbidden 
to  record  the  fact  upon  pain  of  bemg  rent  asunder  ? 
That  he  did  change  his  mmd  is  evident,  and  the 
reason  for  the  change  is  fully  told ;  but  what  is  not 
perfectly  clear  is  that  Moses  and  Aaron  did  actually 
appear  in  the  royal  presence.  There  is  no  record 
whatever  of  that.  There  is  no  tresh  negotiation 
between  them  and  the  king.  There  is  not  even  any 
recorded  conversation.  Besides,  "the  king's  busi- 
ness," in  this  instance,  "  required  haste."  What 
was  urgent  was  the  immediate  departure  of  the 
Israelites  from  among  tne  people ;  and  it  is  evident 
also  from  the  terms  of  the  message  that  there  was 


The  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread.        187 

no  summons  whatever  to  the  Court.    The  command 
was  not :  "  Rise  up,  and  appear  before  the  king  "  ; 
but  "  Rise  up,  and  get  you  forth  from  among  my 
people,  both  ye  and  the  children  of  Israel  with  you." 
4.  How  determined  this  attack  is,  and  how  dili- 
gently every  particle  of  possible  evidence  has  been 
searched  for,  will  be  plain  from  what  follows,  as  well 
as  from  that  which  has  gone  before.     The  Israelites 
were  told  that  the  Passover  was  to  be  eaten  with 
unleavened  bread  (xii.  8),  and  (ver.  15)  were  enjoined 
to  keep  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread ;  yet,  neverthe- 
less, it  is  regarded  as  a  quite  astonishing  fact  that 
they  had  no  leavened  bread  with  them  when  they 
left  Egypt  (verse  39).     In  regard  to  this,  and  the 
other  points,  the  critics  are  more  than  usually  confi- 
dent.    Dr.  Driver  says  that  "in  chapters  xii.— xiii. 
the  double  treatment  is  peculiarly  evident,"  and  he 
speaks  of  "  the  inference  "  being  "  irresistible  "  that 
a   certain   passage   "  is   really   part    of    a    different 
account  of  the  institution  of  the  Passover."     Now 
there  is  no  stronger  argument  in  their  whole  array 
than  this,  and  the  reader  will  be  able  to  appreciate 
the  value  which  ought  to  be  attached  to  these  "  irre- 
sistible inferences."    It  is  quite  true  that  the  Israelites 
were  to  eat  the   Passover  with  unleavened  bread. 
That  is  distinctly  stated  in  xii.  8  (the  passage  referred 
to  above) :    "  And  they  shall  eat  the  flesh  in  that 
night,  roast  with  fire,  and  unleavened  bread;   and 
with  bitter  herbs  shall  they  eat  it."     But  there  is 
nothing  said  there  about  their  sweeping  leaven  out 
of  their  houses  and  their  having  nothing  but  unleav- 


1 88  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1 — xv.  21. 

ened  bread  for  the  ordinary  meals  upon  the  morrow. 
The  legislation  affects  the  eating  of  the  lamb,  and 
the  eating  of  the  lamb  only.  "  But,"  it  will  be 
asked,  "was  not  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  also 
appointed,  and  was  not  the  Passover  the  beginning 
of  that  feast  ?"  The  reply  is  that,  notwithstanding 
their  display  of  minute  analysis,  the  critics  have 
still  something  to  learn  in  the  reading  of  documents. 
The  first  ordinance  regarding  the  Passover  is  given 
in  xii.  3-13 ;  and  the  first  announcement  of  the  Feast 
of  Unleavened  Bread  is  made  in  verses  15-20. 
immense  importance  is  consequently  attached  to 
verse  14  as  the  connecting  link  between  the  two 
passages.     Let  us  look  at  it  again  : — 

"  And  this  day  shall  be  to  you  FOR  A 
MEMORIAL  ;  and  ye  shall  celebrate  it  a  feast 
to  Jehovah.  To  {or,  throughout)  your  genera- 
tions ye  shall  celebrate  it  a  command  for  ever." 

This  has  to  do  with  the  then  future  observance  of  the 
Passover^  and  with  the  future  observance  of  it  only.  It 
is  the  institution  of  the  "memorial"  ;  and  not  of  the 
original  Passover  feast.  And  now  comes  the  insti- 
tution— in  connection  with  the  memorial  alone — of 
the  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread  (verses  15-20). 
These  arrangements,  I  repeat,  were  for  the  memorial 
services,  but  were  not  enjoined  in  connection  with 
the  original  Passover.  With  the  confident  expecta- 
tion which  Moses  and  the  people  had  of  immediate 
permission  to  leave  Egypt,  it  was  impossible  to  make 
arrangements  then  for  its  celebration  of  a  seven  days' 


The  Feast  of  Unleavened   Bread.        189 

feast.  What  would  have  been  the  use,  for  example, 
of  searching  for  leaven  those  dwellings  that  were  to 
be  abandoned  before  the  feast  was  well  begun  ?  And 
now  we  can  understand  the  astonishment  of  the 
pious  Israelites,  when  they  noted  the  fact  that, 
although  no  injunction  had  been  laid  upon  Israel  to 
keep  this  feast  then,  it  was,  nevertheless,  so  arranged 
m  the  Providence  of  God,  that  no  leavened  bread 
was  partaken  of  during  those  first  days  of  their 
emancipation.  Read  in  this,  the  only  natural,  way, 
the  narrative  is  not  only  absolutely  harmonious ;  it 
also  pulsates  with  the  life,  and  is  permeated  by  the 
warm,  living,  emotions  of  the  time. 

5.  The  critic  stiil  detains  us  here.  "  If,"  he  asks, 
"  the  Israelites  were  told  that  they  were  to  be 
emancipated  that  night,  how  did  it  happen  that  they 
were  so  unprepared  that  no  bread  was  made  ready 
for  their  journey  ?  "  We  admit  the  fact  of  their 
unpreparedness.  That,  indeed,  was  the  occasion  of 
the  astonishment  just  referred  to.  In  verse  39  we 
read  :  "  And  they  baked  unleavened  cakes  of  the 
dough  which  they  brought  forth  out  of  Egypt,  for  it 
was  not  leavened :  because  they  were  thrust  out  of 
Egypt,  and  could  not  tarry,  neither  had  they  pre- 
pared victual  for  themselves."  I  repeat  that  we 
admit  the  facts  that  Israel  was  warned,  and  that 
nevertheless  they  had  prepared  no  victual  for  the 
journey.  But  what  then  ?  Must  no  document  con- 
tain anything  extraordinary  on  pain  of  being  dis- 
membered? Must  we  commence  to  suspect  a  dual 
authorship  in  every  book  in  which  "  the  unexpected  " 


I  go  ELxodus — Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1 — xv.  21 

is  represented  as  happening  ?     If  that  is  so,  then,  in 
the  interests  of  public  sanity  we  shall  have  to  sup- 
press the  higher  criticism.     But  let  us  return  now 
to  the  history,  and  see  whether  it  does  not  after  all 
set  before  us  what  is  perfectly  intelligible  and    in 
most  thorough  accord  with  the  circumstances.     We 
remember,  first  of  all,  that   for  that  all-important 
day,  the  14th  Nisan  "at  even,"  that  is  for  the  15th 
Nisan  which  began   at    nightfall  on  the    14th,  the 
Israelites  have  prepared  unleavened  bread,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  distinct  instructions  which  have  been 
given  them.     Let  it  be  remembered  also  that  before 
the  labours  for  the  next  day  could  be  begun — while 
it  is  still  dark — all  is  hurry  and  confusion.     Every- 
thing is  being  bundled  up  for  instant  departure  ;  for 
"the  Egyptians  were  urgent  upon  the  people  that 
they  might    send  them  out  of  the  land^in  haste" 
(verse  33).     Now,  what    kind   of   dough  would,  in 
these  circumstances,  be  in  their  kneading  troughs  ? 
Certainly  that  from  which   they  had   been  baking 
their  unleavened  cakes!     They  would  have  added 
leaven  in  the   course  of   the  lighter  hours  of  the 
morning ;  but  before  those  lighter  hours  arrived  the 
Israelites  were  on  the  march.     So  "  the  people  took 
their  dough  before  it  was  leavened,  their  kneading 
troughs  being  bound  up  in  their  clothes  upon  their 
shoulders"  (verse  34).     Here  again,  therefore,  the 
difficulty  vanishes,  and  its  discussion  leaves  us  once 
more  face  to  face  with  the  haste  and  the  excitement 
of  the  time. 

6.  The  following  is  one  of  a  series  of  difficulties 


The  Feast  of  Unleavened   Bread.         IQI 

which  show  that  the  higher  criticism  has  exchanged 
the  noble  task  of  Scripture  exposition  for  special 
pleading  of  a  weak  and  highly-questionable  order. 
In  xii.  19  there  are  these  words :  "  Seven  days  shall 
there  be  no  leaven  found  in  your  houses :  for  whoso- 
ever eateth  that  which  is  leavened,  even  that  soul 
shall  be  cut  off  from  the  congregation  of  Israel, 
whether  he  be  a  stranger  or  born  in  the  land."  Here, 
it  is  urged,  the  "  stranger"  is  supposed  to  have  part 
in  the  feast  as  well  as  the  Israelite.  But,  in  verses 
43-49,  the  stranger  is  distinctly  forbidden  to  partici- 
pate in  it.  "  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  This 
is  the  ordinance  of  the  Passover:  there  shall  no 
stranger  eat  thereof."  Then  follows  a  very  careful 
description  of  exceptions  to  the  rule.  Slaves  that 
have  been  circumcised,  and  strangers  who  desire  to 
participate  in  the  feast,  and  who,  along  with  the 
other  males  of  their  households,  submit  to  circum- 
cision, may  be  permitted  to  eat  of  the  Passover. 
Then  the  law  is  reiterated  in  view  of  those  excep- 
tions: "No  uncircumcised  person  shall  eat  thereof" 
(verse  48).  This,  then,  is  the  proof  that  the  Book 
is  made  up. of  extracts  from  diverse  sources!  One 
taught  that  even  strangers  must  keep  the  feast  on 
pain  of  death ;  and  the  other  said  that  the  stranger 
must  on  no  account  whatever  m  permitted  to  keep 
it.  But  what  is  it  that  the  stranger  must  do ;  and 
what  is  it  that  he  must  not  do  ?  Are  they  one  and 
the  same  thing  ?  Any  child  that  has  once  read  the 
passages  can  give  the  answer.  The  stranger  must 
not  violate  the  law  of  the   Feast   of  Unleavened 


192  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1— xv.  2L 

Bread.  If  during  those  seven  days  he  eat  anything 
leavened,  "even  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  the 
congregation  of  Israel,  whether  he  be  a  stranger  or 
born  in  the  land"  (verse  19).  And  what  is  it  that 
the  uncircumcised  stranger  must  not  eat  ?  He  must 
not  eat  of  the  Passover.  That  is,  the  stranger,  who 
is  not  in  covenant  with  God,  receives  no  admission 
into  the  circle  of  those  who  are  in  covenant  with 
God ;  but,  it  is  not  permitted  even  to  him  to  violate 
the  sanctity  of  Israel's  purified  land.  What  reliance 
can  be  placed  in  men  who,  either  wittingly  or 
unwittingly,  obscure  a  distinction  so  palpable  and 
broad  as  that  ? 

7.  Another  charge  of  discrepancy  is  founded  upon 
the  statements  in  xii.  16  and  xiii.  6.  In  the  former 
we  read  that  on  the  first  day  there  shall  be  a  holy 
convocation,  and  another  on  the  seventh,  the  last 
day  of  the  feast.  In  the  latter  passage  the  Israelites 
are  told  that  the  seventh  day  "  shall  be  a  feast  to  the 
Lord,"  while  nothing  at  all  is  said  of  the  first  day. 
But  here  again  the  terms  used  are  not  the  same.  The 
first  passage  speaks  of  holy  convocations,  on  the  first 
and  the  last  days  of  the  feast.  The  second  passage 
enjoins  that  the  second  convocation  shall  be  specially 
observed  as  a  feast  to  Jehovah.  In  other  words,  the 
closing  day  of  the  feast  was  to  be  "  a  high  day." 
Where,  then,  is  the  alleged  contradiction  ?  The 
want  of  consideration  in  this  contention  is  the  more 
flagrant  that  the  first  day  of  the  feast  has  been  already 
dealt  with  in  chapter  xiii.,  showing  the  perfect  har- 
mony of  both  the  references  :  "  Remember  this  day, 


The   Feast  of  Unleavened    Bread.         193 

in  which  ye  came  out  from  Egypt,  out  of  the  house 
of  bondage  "  (xiii.  3). 

8.  But  the  two  accounts  are  said  to  have  different 
wa^  s  of  indicating  the  months.  In  xiii.  4  the  month 
of  the  Passover  is  spoken  of  as  Abib;  in  xii.  18  it  is 
ciUed  "the  first  month."  Wellhausen  affirms  that 
the  latter  statement  implies  a  change  in  the  calendar, 
and  that  this  change  was  made  after  the  Babylonish 
captivity.  There  was  also,  it  is  said,  a  change  in 
the  mode  of  referring  to  the  months.  The  older 
method  was  to  name  the  month  ;  and  the  more  recent 
plan,  introduced  only  in  and  after  the  exile,  was  to 
refer  to  the  months  by  number.  Hence  it  follows 
that  Exodus  xii.  18,  which  speaks  of  "the  first 
month,"  belongs  to  a  later  document,  dating  from 
the  times  after  the  exile ;  and  Exodus  xiii.  4,  which 
names  the  month  ("this  day  came  ye  out  in  the 
month  Abib"),  belongs  to  an  earlier  document.  To 
such  assertions  as  these  the  temporary  triumph  of 
the  higher  criticism  is  to  be  almost  wholly  ascribed. 
We  instinctively  bow  before  the  authority  of  compe- 
tent scholarship ;  and  when  such  statements  are 
made  by  acknowledged  masters  in  Biblical  learning, 
and  are  received  and  handed  on  to  the  general 
public  by  others,  what  can  an  ordinary  inquirer  do 
but  admit,  however  sadly,  that  the  older  opinions 
cannot  be  maintained?  And  yet  the  statements 
ought  never  to  have  been  made  or  received.  First 
of  all,  Abib  is  found  only  in  the  Pentateuch.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  whatever  that  it  is  the  Egyptian 
Epep.     Both  the  name  of  the  month,  and  its  place 


194  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God — xiv.  1— xv.  2i. 

in  the  popular  Egyptian  calendar  at  that  time,  are 
strongly  in  favour  of  the  identification.  From  their 
residence  in  Egypt  the  Israelites  of  the  Exodus 
knew  the  month  by  that  name,  and  it  was  natural 
therefore  that  Moses  should  so  refer  to  it.  xiii.  4 
belongs,  therefore,  to  a  Mosaic  document. . 

What,  then,  of  *'  the  first  month  "?  Could  such 
a  phrase  as  that  be  found  in  a  Mosaic  document  ? 
Let  me  notice  first  the  statement  that  the  months 
before  the  captivity  were  cited  by  name,  and  after 
the  captivity  by  their  number.  No  belief  was  ever 
.more  destitute  of  a  foundation.  Nehemiah,  a  writer 
belonging  to  times  later  than  the  exile,  cites  the  months 
by  both  name  and  number:  "And  it  came  to  pass  in  the 
month  Chisleu  "  (i.  i) ;  "And  it  came  to  pass  in  the 
month  Nisan"  (ii.  i) ;  "When  the  seventh  month 
came,  the  children  of  Israel  were  in  their  cities  " 
(vii.  73) ;  "  Upon  the  first  day  of  the  seventh  month  " 
(viii.  2) ;  "  The  seventh  month  "  (viii.  14).  Nehemiah 
wrote  more  thaii  a  hundred  years  after  the  end  of  the 
exile;  and  at  that  time,  therefore,  it  was  customary 
both  to  name  the  months  and  to  cite  them  by  number. 
Nothing  can,  therefore,  be  more  misleading  or  base- 
less th^n  to  say  that  the  practice  of  naming  the 
months  had  then  passed  away,  and  that  they  were 
known  only  by  their  numbers.  And  now  let  us  ask 
what  the  custom  was  before  the  exile.  We  have  just 
seen  that  the  naming  of  months  did  not  cease  after 
the  exile.  Are  the  critics,  then,  on  surer  ground 
when  they  say  that  the  numbering  of  the  months 
was  not  introduced  before  the  exile?     The  following 


The  Feast  of   Unleavened    Bread.         195 

quotations  are  from  Jeremiah,  whom  no  one  has  ever 
reckoned  a  post-exiHc  author  ;  and  who,  although  he 
lived  when  the  exile  had  begun,  wrote  in  the  style 
and  with  the  phraseology  common  to  his  countrymen 
and  himself  before  the  exile  begun :  "  In  the  fifth 
month"  (i.  3):  "In  the  fourth  year,  in  the  fifth 
month  "  (xxviii.  i) ;  "  In  the  ninth  month  "  (xxxvi.  g), 
&c.  In  I  Kings  we  find:  "The  ninth  year  of  his 
reign,  in  the  tenth  month  ";  in  i  Kings  xii.  33  :  "  In 
the  fifteenth  day  of  the  eighth  month."  We  also 
find,  as  in  Nehemiah,  that  the  months  are  cited  both 
by  name  and  number :  "  The  month  Zif,  which  is  the 
second  month"  (vi.  i) ;  "Bui,  which  is  the  eighth 
month  "  (vi.  38) ;  "  Ethanim,  which  is  the  seventh 
month"  (viii.  2).  In  pre-exilic  times,  therefore,  the 
months  are  referred  to  by  both  name  and  number  ; 
and  there  is  accordingly  not  a  shadow  of  foundation 
for  assigning  Exodus  xii.  18,  which  speaks  of  "the 
first  month,"  to  a  later  document  than  that  of  Exodus 
xiii.  4,  which  refers  to  it  as  "  the  month  Abib." 

It  will  now  be  no  surprise  to  the  reader  to  learn 
that  the  calendar  was  changed  long  before  the  Jews 
were  taken  to  Babylon.  The  Israelites  have  had  two 
years  from  the  Exodus  to  the  present  time :  (i)  The 
civil  year,  the  opening  of  which,  the  Jewish  New 
Year,  was  celebrated  on  the  first  of  Tizri,  after  the 
harvest ;  (2)  The  religious  year,  the  beginning  of 
which,  at  the  opening  of  Nisan,  or  Abib,  was  fixed  at 
the  Exodus.  There  are  references  iu  tht  earlier  Old 
Testament  Books  which  show  that  both  reckonings 
were  followed.    That  the  civil  year  existed  before  the 


196  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God — xiv.  1 — xv.  21. 

captivity  is  not  denied,  so  that  I  need  not  adduce 
proof  to  show  that  this  mode  of  reckoning  was 
practised  in  pre-exilic  times.  That  the  religious 
year,  however,  was  also  known  then  is  shown  by  the 
following.  In  2  Samuel  xi.  i  we  read:  "And  it  came 
to  pass  after  the  year  was  expired  (at  the  return  of 
the  year),  at  the  time  when  kings  go  forth  to  battle, 
that  David  sent  Joab,"  &c.  When  do  kings  com- 
mence a  campaign  ?  When  the  fields  are  bare  and 
the  winter  is  setting  in  ?  Certainly  not.  But  if  the 
civil  year  was  here  referred  to,  the  writer  must  be 
held  to  mean  that  that  was  "the  time  when  kings  go 
forth  to  battle."  The  year  referred  to  is  plainly  that 
which  began  in  March-April — in  other  words,  the 
religious  year.  Two  other  passages  from  i  Kings 
can  only  be  understood  in  the  same  way :  "At  the 
return  of  the  year  the  King  of  Syria  will  come  up 
against  thee  "  (xx.  22) ;  "And  it  came  to  pass  at  the 
return  of  the  year,  that  Benhadad  numbered  the 
Syrians,  and  went  up  to  Aphek  to  fight  against 
Israel "  (verse  26).  This  also  was  plainly  a  spring 
campaign,  and  the  religious  year  was  an  Israelitish 
institution  long  before  the  Babylonian  captivity. 

9.  Dr.  Driver  writes  :  "  The  distinction  between 
P  and  JE  in  chapter  xii.  is  sufficiently  established  on 
literary  grounds."  *  There  are  few  statements  in  his 
book  which  ar«  more  misleading.  It  is  evidently 
intended  to  impart  to  the  reader  the  conviction  that 
here  the  critics  feel  they  stand  upon  ground  that  is 
well  assured.    The  reader  will  judge  from  the  folio w- 

*  Introduction,  p.  26. 


The  Feast  of    Unleavened   Bread.         197 

ing  whether  the  words  quoted  are  justified.  Dr. 
Driver  assigns  verses  21-27  to  JE,  that  is,  to  the  two 
writers  J  and  E,  whose  writings,  the  critics  say,  have 
been  so  mixed  up  in  parts  that  it  is  impossible  to 
separate  them.  These  parts  they  accordingly  label 
JE.  But,  in  this  instance,  the  combination  exhibits 
special  peculiarities.  Verses  24-27,  Wellhausen  says, 
are  allied  to  the  Jehovist  in  phrase  and  diction,  and  to 
the  Elohist  in  contents  1  That  is,  either  the  Jehovist 
has  taken  to  dealing  with  matters,  the  detailing  of 
which  is  a  special  feature  of  the  so-called  Elohistic 
writing ;  or  the  Elohist  is  telling  his  own  story,  but 
is  telling  it  in  the  language  and  in  the  manner  which 
are  the  marked  characteristics  of  the  Jehovist.  Now 
to  label  those  verses  JE,  and  then  to  thrust  them 
aside,  is  to  stifle  a  most  important  confession.  For, 
if  the  Jehovist  can  thus  deal  with  what  is  the  special 
province  of  the  Elohist;  and  if  the  Elohist  can  assume 
the  manner  and  the  speech  of  the  Jehovist,  what  does 
it  mean  ?  If  they  exchange  with  each  other  in  such 
bewildering  fashion  here,  may  they  not  have  done  it 
elsewhere  ?  For  the  problem  here  raised  the  critic  has 
no  solution..  The  solution  is  plainly  that  provided  by 
the  old-fashioned  faith — that  we  have  to  do  through- 
out with  the  work  of  one  writer,  and  of  one  writer  only. 
A  concluding  word  may  be  added  to  show  how 
little  there  is  of  certainty  in  the  critical  analysis  of 
the  chapter.  Dr.  Driver  breaks  it  up  into  twelve  frag- 
ments, which  he  divides  among  those  critical  myths 
P,  J,  E,  and  JE.  Holzinger  makes  twenty  frag- 
ments, which  he  distributes  among  six  writers  ;  and 


igS  Exodus— Redeemed  with  God— xiv.  1— xv.  21. 

Baentsch  has  twenty-one  fragments,  which  he  credits 
to  no  fewer  than  eight  writers.  And  yet  Dr.  Driver 
can  write  (as  if  only  two  writers  were  supposed  to  be 
concerned)  "the  distinction  between  P  and  JE  in 
chap.  xii.  is  sufficiently  established  upon  literary 
grounds  " ;  and  his  followers  still  talk  of  "  the  assured 
results  of  the  higher  criticism  "  I 


SECTION    II. 

The  Giving  of  the  Law  at  Sinai 
(XIX.— XXXI.) 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Contents  of  the  Section. 

I  HAVE  again  to  remind  my  readers  that  they  will 
find  in  a  former  work*  of  mine  what  is  quite  a 
necessary  companion  to  the  present  volume.  The 
light  shed  by  the  survey  of  the  Sinaitic  Peninsula, 
and  by  recent  discoveries  in  Egypt,  has  invested 
those  ancient  scenes  with  all  the  interest  and  charm 
of  contemporaneous  events.  With  these  things, 
however,  the  space  now  at  my  disposal,  as  well  as  my 
present  purpose,  make  it  impossible  to  deal.  We 
limit  ourselves,  therefore,  to  tracing  the  plan  of  the 
Book,  shpwing  its  unity,  and  indicating  its  purpose. 
There  is  one  feature  of  chapter  xix.  which  com- 
mands attention.  It  is  the  consciousness  which 
pervades  it  that  this  choice  of  Israel,  and  of  God's 
revelation  to  it,  form  a  new  and  momentous  epoch 
in  the  world's  history.  The  people  have  come  to 
Sinai  and  have  encamped  before  the  Mount.  Moses, 
the  Mediator,  we  are  told, 

•TA*  Ntw  Biblical  Guide ;  seo  vols.  iii.  and  It. 


200  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

"  W^ent  up  to  God;  and  Jehovah  called  to  him 
from  the  Mount  saying,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  to 
the  house  of  Jacob  and  declare  to  the  children 
of  Israel.  Ye  have  seen  what  I  have  done  to 
Egypt,  and  I  bore  you  up  on  eagles'  wings,  and 
I  have  brought  you  to  Me.  And  now  if  hearken- 
ing ye  will  hearken  to  My  voice,  and  will  keep 
My  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  to  Me  a  peculiar 
possession  above  all  the  peoples ;  for  all  the 
earth  is  Mine:  and  ye  shall  be  to  Me  a  kingdom 
of  priests  and  a  holy  nation.  These  are  the 
words  which  thou  shalt  speak  to  the  children  of 
■     Israel  "  (verses  3-6). 

Moses  carried  down  the  message  to  Israel,"  and 
Israel's  response  was  unanimous  and  whole-souled : 
"  And  all  the  people  answered  together  and  said,  AH 
that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  we  will  do"  (verse  8). 

To  us,  with  the  knowledge  which  we  possess  of 
what  Israel  has  been  to  the  world,  there  may  seem  to 
be  nothing  marvellous  in  this.  All  is  as  it  should  be. 
The  history  of  the  mighty  part  played  by  this  small 
and  otherwise  insignificant  people  in  the  education 
of  humanity  could  not  have  had  a  more  fitting  intro- 
duction. But  let  us  go  back  to  the  centuries  before 
the  Christian  era  began.  Let  us  take  our  stand — I 
do  not  say  in  1600  B.C.,  the  age  of  the  Exodus ;  but — 
at  the  lowest  date  which  has  ever  been  assigned  to 
the  origin  of  those  words.  Let  us  say  that  they 
were  placed  upon  the  page  of  Scripture  no  earlier 
than  400  B.C.  Israel  was  then  a  conquered  race. 
The  larger  part  of  the  nation — the  kingdom  of  the 


The  Contents  of   the  Section.  201 

ten  tribes — had  been  annihilated.  The  fragments  of 
those  tribes  and  the  Jewish  people  were  scattered 
throughout  the  Persian  Empire.  A  few  had  returned 
to  Jerusalem  and  to  their  ruined  cities,  and  were 
fighting  a  hard  battle  with  poverty  and  dishearten- 
ment.  What  shadow  of  foundation  could  have  been 
discovered  then  for  this  unique  and  marvellous  hope  ? 
Going  back  to  the  times  of  the  Exodus  there  was 
quite  as  little  in  Israel's  circumstances  to  suggest  it. 
A  horde  of  escaped  slaves,  breaking  with  the  world's 
highest  civilisation,  finding  an  asylum  in  the  desert — 
what  could  have  inspired  the  expectation  that  theirs 
was  to  be  the  broadest,  deepest,  highest,  holiest  of 
all  national  influences?  Yet  here,  placed  on  a  record 
that  has  never  been  altered,  is  the  prophecy  of 
Israel's  destiny.  This  people  is  to  be  the  priest  of 
the  nations.  It  is  to  be  God's  peculiar  treasure 
above  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth.  God  is  to  declare 
Himself  to  it,  and  to  reveal  Himself  through  it.  All 
this  is  put  into  the  heart  of  that  covenant  made  at 
Sinai.  And  now,  behold  the  miracle — the  covenant 
has  been  kept ;  the  destiny  has  been  attained !  The 
light  which-  has  swept  away  the  world's  darkness, 
has  streamed  forth  from  Israel.  In  proportion  as 
they  fulfilled  the  covenant  stipulations,  and  were 
God's  holy  priesthood,  the  glory  has  been  theirs. 
What  is  the  origin  of  this  Bible  ?  "  Holy  men  of 
God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  " 
(2  Peter  i.  21);  and  in  Christ;  an  Israelite,  according 
to  the  flesh,  yet  the  Beloved  One  in  whom  God  is 
well  pleased,  Israel  has  become  the  high  priest  of 


r;02  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

humanity.  And  in  Him  who  shall  also  turn  away 
ungodliness  from  Jacob,  Israel  will  yet  reach  the 
fulness  of  her  destiny. 

When  Israel's  answer  was  brought  back  to  God,  a 
revelation  of  Jehovah  was  given  which  showed  that 
the  covenant  was  to  be  no  dead  letter.  Three  days 
are  allowed  to  the  people  to  sanctify  themselves,  and 
the  mountain  is  fenced  round  about  so  that  the  place 
of  the  revelation  may  be  sanctified  also.  On  the  third 
day  the  people  are  brought  forth  from  their  tents  and 
assembled  on  the  plain  of  Er-Rahah  before  Mount 
Sinai.  The  array  took  place  among  thunderings 
and  lightnings,  accompanied  by  the  sound  of  "the 
trumpet  exceeding  loud  " ;  and  the  smoke  of  Sinai 
"ascended  as  the  smoke  of  a  furnace,  and  the  whole 
Mount  quaked  greatly."  Amidst  this  dread  scene 
the  voice  of  God  was  heard  speaking  those  **  ten 
words,"  in  which  the  moral  law  has  been  enunciated 
with  a  clearness,  brevity,  fulness,  and  majesty,  un- 
equalled and  unapproached  in  any  literature  besides 
(xx.  1-17).  But  the  power  of  Israel's  endurance  was 
now  exhausted. 

"And  all  the  people  (were)  beholding  the 
thunderings,  and  the  flames,  and  the  voice  of  the 
trumpet,  and  the  mountain  smoking.  And  the 
people  were  afraid,  and  were  seized  with  terror, 
and  stood  afar  off.  And  they  said  to  Moses, 
Speak  thou  with  us,  and  we  shall  hear,  and  do 
not  let  God  speak  with  us  lest  we  die  "  (verses 
18, 19). 
Their  prayer  was  granted ;  and  thenceforth  the  law 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  203 

came  to  them  through  their  mediator,  the  man  who 
could  hear  God's  voice  and  live.  The  first  message 
which  he  bore  to  the  people  was  the  interpretation 
of  the  scene  which  they  had  witnessed.  They  had 
formerly  seen  the  gods  of  Egypt,  and  now  they  had 
stood  face  to  face  with  the  living  God.  In  that 
revelation  idolatry  had  received  its  death-blow. 

'*  YE  have  seen  (there  is  special  emphasis  upon 

the  pronoun  '  ye ')  that  I  have  spoken  with  you 

from  heaven.     Ye  shall  not  make  with  Me  gods 

of  silver,  and  ye  shall  not  make  unto  you  gods 

of  gold  "  (xx.  22,  23). 

Their  altar  even  was  to  be  free  from  every  idolatrous 

ornament,  and  to  consist  only  of  heaped  up  earth, 

or  of  unhewn  stone. 

Amid  the  multiplicity  of  the  laws  which  follow  we 
mark  a  Divine  order.     There  are 

I.  In  xxi.  1-32 — laws  regarding  Hebrew  slaves  and 
personal  injuries.  These  are  fitly  placed  together. 
The  Israelite,  reduced  by  poverty  to  temporary  servi- 
tude, had  a  claim  for  the  restoration  of  his  liberty  at 
the  end  of  the  allotted  period,  just  as  the  injured  had 
a  claim  for* reparation  or  for  vengeance.  . 

II.  XXI.  33 — xxii.  17 — laws  regarding  injuries  to 
property.  The  last  enactment  in  this  connection — 
the  wrong  done  to  a  maid  that  is  not  betrothed — 
may  at  first  sight  seem  strangely  placed.  But  when 
it  is  observed  that  this  is  the  only  offence  of  the  kind 
that  is  mentioned  here,  though  others  are  elaborately 
dealt  with  elsewhere  in  the  Law,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the   aspect  of    the  case  contemplated  is  the  injury 


204   Exodus— Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

done  to  the  woman's  personal  interests.  Her  hopes 
of  an  honoured  place  and  of  maintenance  among  her 
people  have  been  blighted,  and  reparation  is  required. 
III.  xxii.  i8 — xxiii.  19 — laws  regarding  offences 
against  God.  These  begin  with,  "  Thou  shalt  not 
suffer  a  witch  to  live."  Those  who  are  acquainted 
with  the  religions  of  the  time,  and  with  the  fearful 
bondage  of  superstition  under  which  the  nations 
lay,  will  realise  the  importance  of  that  injunction. 
The  "user  of  enchantments,"  whether  an  impostor 
or  not,  was  an  emissary  of  the  kingdom  of  darkness, 
and  was  re-capturing  and  enslaving  afresh  those 
whom  God  had  freed.  If  that  people  were  to  be 
preserved  from  the  spiritual  enthralment  of  the  time, 
and  to  retain  a  living  faith  in  God,  the  witch  must 
die.  She  was  their,  and  His,  foe.  There  is  a  repeti- 
tion in  this  Section,  the  intention  of  which  some  of 
the  critics  themselves  have  perceived  and  acknow- 
ledged. In  xxii.  21  we  read:  "Thou  shalt  neither 
vex  a  stranger,  nor  oppress  him ;  for  ye  were  strangers 
in  the  land  of  Egypt  "  ;  and  again  in  xxiii.- 9:  "Also 
thou  shalt  not  oppress  a  stranger ;  for  ye  know  the 
heart  of  a  stranger,  seeing  ye  were  strangers  in  the 
land  of  Egypt."  The  first,  it  is  plain  from  the  con- 
nection, is  a  word  to  the  people;  and  the  second  is  a 
word  to  the  judges.  The  reader  will  notice  that 
the  first  injunction  has  a  wide  sweep — "  thou  shalt 
neither  vex  .  .  .  nor  oppress";  the  other  is  confined 
to  one  mode  of  procedure,  "thou  shalt  not  oppress" 
— a  phrase  which  indicates  a  process  of  pressure, 
and  which,  happily,  describes  that  form  of  persecu- 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  205 

tion  that  is  enacted  and  enforced  by  law.  That  the 
stranger,  the  widow,  and  the  fatherless,  are  under 
the  immediate  protection  of  God,  and  that  wrong  to 
them  is  a  defiance  of  Him,  is  not  only  the  eloquent 
suggestion  of  this  arrangement,  but  is  expressly 
indicated  in  the  words  which  follow:  "If  thou  afflict 
them  in  any  wise,  and  they  cry  at  all  unto  Me,  I  will 
surely  hear  their  cry  "  (xxii.  23).  The  transition  to 
the  honouring  of  God  in  His  institutions  occurs  in 
verse  28  :  "Thou  shalt  not  revile  the  gods  (Elohim)." 
Elohim,  here  as  elsewhere  in  Scripture,  is  applied  to 
the  judges.  They  were  put,  as  it  were,  in  God's 
place ;  and,  administering  God's  law,  they  were 
clothed  with  Divine  authority.  There  have  been  few 
things  more  common  from  those  days  to  the  present 
time,  among  unsuccessful  litigants,  than  the  reviling 
of  the  judges.  But  to  yield  to  that  temptation  is  to 
offend  against  God.  Then  follow  the  laws  for  wit- 
nesses and  judges.  The  former  are  not  to  permit 
themselves  to  be  turned  from  what  is  strictly  right, 
either  by  popular  clamour  or  by  the  remembrance  of 
their  own  wrongs.  So  far  are  they  to  be  from  encour- 
aging any  .spirit  of  the  kind,  that,  if  they  are  brought 
Providentially  into  contact  with  their  enemy  in  the 
time  of  his  need,  they  are  to  render  him  what 
assistance  they  may  (xxiii.  5).  Injunctions  are  added 
regarding  the  Sabbatic  year,  the  Sabbath  day,  and 
the  three  Divinely-appointed  annual  festivals. 

The  last  of  these  laws  has  long  exercised  the 
learning  and  the  ingenuity  of  commentators:  "Thou 
shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  his  mother's  milk"  (xxiii.  19). 


2o6  Exodus — Redeemed  wath  God— xix. — xxxi. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  how  the  Jews  under- 
stood the  words  in  the  first  centuries  of  our  era. 
The  Targum  of  Onkelos  has :  "  Thou  shalt  not  eat 
flesh  with  milk."  The  Targum  of  Palestine  expresses 
the  same  notion  in  a  fuller  form :  **  My  people  of 
Israel,  you  are  not  permitted  to  dress  or  eat  of  flesh 
and  milk  mingled  together,  lest  I  be  greatly  dis- 
pleased ;  and  I  prepare  you  the  wheat  and  the  straw 
together  for  your  food."  This  is  very  probably  a 
comment  of  despair.  Had  the  Scripture  intended 
to  forbid  merely  the  eating  or  the  dressing  of  flesh 
with  milk,  the  prohibition  would  have  come  to  us  in 
a  more  intelligible  form  than  this  mysterious  com- 
mand. There  is  plainly  some  reference  to  a  custom 
with  which  the  Israel  of  the  Exodus  was  familiar, 
but  which,  through  the  very  obedience  of  the  Israelites, 
had  passed  away  and  had  been  forgotten  before  those 
paraphrases  of  the  Scripture,  the  Targums,  were 
written.  The  practice  had  evidently  also  some  con- 
nection with  sacrifices  and  offerings.  In  verse  i8 
there  are  directions  regarding  the  blood  and  the  fat 
of  the  sacrifices ;  in  verse  19  the  Israelite  is  com- 
manded to  bring  the  first  fruits  of  his  land  into  the 
House  of  God,  and  then  follow  the  words :  "  Thou 
shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  his  mother's  milk."  The 
command  is  repeated  in  Deuteronomy  xiv.  21.  There 
the  connection  shows  that  the  prohibition  refers  to 
what  was  prepared,  partly  at  least,  for  food,  and  that 
the  practice  had  also  some  relation  to  the  tithes, 
both,  perhaps,  being  confessions  of  obligation  to  a 
higher  power.     After  forbidding  the  eating  of  that 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  207 

which  dieth  of  itself,  there  follows  the  injunction  : 
"  Thou  shaJt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  his  mother's  milk. 
Thou  shalt  truly  tithe  all  the  increase  of  thy  seed, 
that  the  field  bringeth  forth  year  by  year."  Probably 
it  was  some  idolatrous  rite  in  connection  with  the 
harvest  celebrations  which  was  thus  set  aside.  Keil 
rejects  Abarbanel's  explanation,  but  it  alone  has 
thrown  any  light  upon  the  words.  The  latter  men- 
tions that  there  was  a  custom  in  which  a  kid  was 
seethed  in  its  mother's  milk  in  order  to  propitiate 
certain  deities.  And  an  ancient  Jewish  commentary 
says  that  the  milk  was  sprinkled  on  the  fruit  trees, 
fields,  and  gardens  as  a  charm  to  improve  the  next 
year's  crops. 

Such  was  the  demand  of  the  first  covenant  between 
God  and  Israel.  It  proclaimed  Jehovah  the  God  of 
righteousness,  who  was  served  in  their  abstaining 
from  wrongdoing  towards  men,  as  well  as  in  the 
performance  of  what  are  more  strictly  named 
religious  duties.  It  concluded  with  the  announce- 
ment of  a  startling  change  in  God's  treatment  of 
Israel.  They  were  now  to  be  put  under  discipline. 
We  have  noticed  that,  although  they  had  murmured 
on  the  way  to  Sinai,  and  had  almost  broken  out  into 
open  rebellion,  there  had  been  no  chastisement.  If 
that  had  continued,  Israel  would  have  made  no 
advance. 

"  Behold  I  am  sending  an  Angel  before  thee 
to  guard  thee  in  the  way.  And  he  will  bring 
thee  to  the  place  which  I  have  prepared.  Be 
watchful  in  his  presence  and  listen  to  his  voice. 


2o8  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

Provoke  him  not,  for  he  will  not  pardon  your 

transgressions,  for  My  name  is  in  him"  (verses 

20,  21). 
There  will  henceforth,  therefore,  be  swift  retribution — 
retribution  so  swift  and  so  terrible  that  the  fear  of 
God  will  be  planted  deep  in  the  heart  of  even  a 
carnal  race.  But  help  and  blessing  will  reveal  quite 
as  marvellously  His  presence  and  His  power. 

"  But  if  thou  wilt  indeed  listen  to  his  voice,  I 

shall  both  do  all  that  I  have  said,  and  I  shall  be 

the  foe  of  thy  foes,  and  I  shall  be  the  oppressor 

of  thine  oppressors  "  (verses  22,  23). 

The  covenant  concludes  with  the  promise  of  the 
possession  of  the  land  as  they  are  able  to  occupy  it, 
and  of  marked  and  abundant  blessing  there  (verses 

23-33)- 

Chapters  xxiv. — xxxi.  complete  the  account  of  the 
giving  of  the  law.  The  communication  of  the  laws, 
which  we  have  already  noted,  ended  with  a  summons 
to  Moses  to  come  up  into  the  mountain,  and  to  take 
with  him  Aaron  and  his  sons,  and  seventy  of  the 
elders  of  Israel.  So  Moses  returned  to  the  people, 
made  known  to  them  the  laws  which  he  had  received, 
and  wrote  them  in  a  Book.  Next  morning,  rising 
early,  he  builded  an  altar  near  to  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  Sacrifices  were  offered  by  "  the  young 
men,"  the  firstborn,  who  held  then,  by  right  of  birth, 
the  priestly  office.  Half  the  blood  was  sprinkled 
upon  the  altar.  Half  of  it  was  put  in  "basins,"  for 
which  we  have  an  entirely  different  word  {aggdn) 
from  that  wrongly-rendered  "basin"  (sap)  in  xii.  22. 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  209 

He  then  read  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,  and,  when 
the  people  had  expressed  their  resolve  to  obey  "  all 
that  the  Lord  hath  said,"  he  sprinkled  upon  them 
the  reserved  half  of  the  blood,  saying,  *'  Behold  the 
blood  of  the  covenant  which  the  Lord  hath  made 
with  you  concerning  these  words."  And  now  to  this 
sprinkling  with  the  blood  of  the  covenant  there  was 
a  strange  two-fold  sequence.  Aaron  and  his  sons, 
and  the  seventy  elders,  went  up  into  the  mountain 
with  Moses, 

"  And  they  saw  the  God  of  Israel.  And 
under  His  feet  as  work  of  the  transparency 
of  the  sapphire,  and  as  the  heaven  itself  for 
splendour"  (verse  10). 
They  saw  God  and  lived.  "  They  saw  God,  and 
did  eat  and  drink  "  in  His  presence.  Then  Moses 
and  Joshua  passed  up  into  the  mount  to  be  forty 
days  with  God,  and  to  come  back  with  the  tables  of 
stone  graven  by  God's  own  hand,  and  the  directions 
for  rearing  the  Tabernacle  so  that  Jehovah  might 
dwell  in  the  midst  of  His  people.  It  is  impossible 
not  to  see  in  these  last  incidents  the  history  of  that 
other  mediatorial  work  for  which  this  of  Moses  was 
the  preparation  and  the  Divinely-arranged  symbol. 
There  has  been  the  sprinkling  of  that  blood  which 
"  speaketh  better  things  "  upon  those  brought  into 
covenant  with  God.  There  has  been  also  the  full 
disclosure  of  Jehovah  and  men's  communion  with 
Him.  They,  too,  have  eaten"  and  have  drunk  in  His 
presence.  And  then  our  Mediator,  the  Risen  Lord, 
has  gone  up  to  God  to  return  again  to  rear  God's 


2IO  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

dwelling-place  in  the  earth.  Would  that  the  pro- 
phecy ended  there !  Would  that  there  had  been  no 
forgetfulness  of  Him  Who  has  gone  up  from  among 
us ;  no  lapse  into  idolatry  and  sin ;  and  no  coming 
judgment  that  will  sweep  with  terror  and  death 
through  what  was  once  worthy  to  be  named  the 
Church  of  God ! 

Chapters  xxv. — xxxi.  are  occupied  almost  exclu- 
sively with  details  of  the  minutest  kind  regarding 
the  structure  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  the  making  of 
what  is  needful  for  the  worship  of  which  the  Taber- 
nacle is  to  be  the  scene.  No  man  has  yet  been  able 
to  unfold  the  symbolic  intention  of  everything  in 
this  "  Interpreter's  House."  But  that  the  House  is 
there,  fully  provided,  and  waiting  for  the  entrance  of 
the  Interpreter  with  those  that  desire  His  instruc- 
tion, no  one  can  doubt  who  has  considered  these 
symbols  at  all.  To  this  subject  we  shall  return 
immediately.  Let  us  now  complete  our  survey  of 
the  contents  of  this  marvellous  Section  of  the  third 
and  last  Part  of  Exodus,  "The  Redeemed  with 
God."  This  structure  that  is  to  be  raised  is  to  be 
remarkable  for  its  splendour,  if  not  for  its  extent. 
Never  has  earth  seen  a  richer  fane,  nor  a  more 
gloriously-arrayed  priesthood.  It  was  necessary  for 
the  symbolic  mission  of  the  Tabernacle  and  its 
Aaronic  priesthood  that  it  should  have  this  exceeding 
excellency  of  glory  ;  for  only  then  might  it  proclaim 
the  unique  splendours  of  the  Priesthood  and  of  the 
Tabernacle  that  were  yet  to  come.  But  whence  is 
all  this  needed  wealth  to  come  ?     There  can  be  little 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  21 1 

doubt  that  Moses,  if  asked  to  give,  would  have 
replied  with  the  apostles,  "  Silver  and  gold  have  we 
none."  The  IsraeHtes  had  been  enriched,  but  Moses 
had  been  occupied  with  nobler  cares.  Whence, 
then,  were  the  riches  to  be  had  ?  They  were  to  be 
the  free-will  offerings  of  those  whom  God  had  so 
marvellously  enriched.  The  first  words  spoken  re- 
garding this  dwelling-place  for  the  Most  High  were 
these : 

♦*  And  Jehovah  spoke  to  Moses,  saying,  Speak 
to  the  children  of  Israel,  and  receive  an  offering 
for  Me  :  from  every  man  whose  heart  urges  him 
(to  give)  receive  ye  My  offering.  And  this  is 
the  offering  which  ye  will  receive  from  them ; 
gold,  and  silver,  and  copper  "  (xxv.  1-3). 

And  so  the  list  proceeds  to  name  the  other  needful 
and  precious  things  that  are  required.  The  account 
ends  with  the  words  : 

'*  And  let  them  make  for  Me  a  Sanctuary; 
and  let  Me  dwell  among  them.  According  to 
all  that  I  am  showing  thee,  as  to  the  structure 
of  the  dwelling-place,  and  the  structure  of  its 
vessels,  even  so  shalt  thou  make  (theih)  "  (verses 
8,9). 

Directions  are  then  given  for  the  making  of  the 
ark,  its  staves,  and  their  rings.  The  ark  is  to  be 
plated  with  gold  within  and  without.  The  staves,  by 
which  it  is  to  be  borne  from  place  to  place,  are  like- 
wise to  be  plated  with  gold.  The  rings,  placed  in 
the  four  corners,  are  to  be  of  solid  gold.     Next  the 


212   Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

mercy-seat,  the  covering  for  the  ark,  is  described  as 
to  its  form  and  its  material  which  is  also  "  pure 
gold."  Over  this  are  to  be  two  golden  cherubim 
formed  of  "beaten  work."  "And  the  cherubim 
shall  stretch  forth  their  wings  on  high,  covering  the 
mercy-seat  with  their  wings,  and  their  faces  one  to 
another :  toward  the  mercy-seat  shall  the  faces  of 
the  cherubim  be"  (verse  20).  The  "testimony" 
which  God  is  to  give  to  Moses  is  to  be  placed  in  the 
ark,  and  the  mercy-seat  is  then  to  be  placed  over  it. 
This  constitutes  the  furniture  of  the  Holiest  of  all — 
the  dwelling-place  of  Jehovah.  Directions  followed 
for  the  making  of  the  contents  of  the  Holy  Place, 
where  the  priests  ministered.  The  table  of  show- 
bread,  and  the  seven-branched  candlestick,  or  lamp- 
stand,  with  their  staves,  rings,  adornments,  and 
accompanying  dishes  and  utensils,  are  described  in 
equally  minute  detail.  These  directions  for  the 
furniture  of  the  Tabernacle  close  with  the  words : 

"  And  see  and  make  (them)  in  their  structure 
according  to  what  thou  art  beholding  on  the 
mount  "  (verse  40). 

Man  supplies  in  freewill  offering  the  material  for 
God's  dwelling-place  on  earth ;  but  God  Himself  is 
Architect  of  His  Tabernacle.  If  God  is  to  dwell 
among  us,  all — from  the  greatest  to  the  least — must 
be  in  accordance  with  His  declared  will,  and  not  in 
accordance  with  our  notions  of  what  is  becoming  or 
expedient. 

Chapter  xxvi.  gives  directions,  equally  minute,  for 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  213 

the  preparation  of  the  exterior  of  the  Tabernacle ; 
the  curtains,  with  their  various  coverings ;  the  boards, 
which  are  to  be  plated  with  gold  ;  their  silver  sockets  ; 
the  veil  to  divide  the  Holy  Place  from  the  Holiest  of 
all ;  the  five  gold-plated  pillars  for  the  entrance  to 
the  Tabernacle  with  the  hanging,  &c.,  to  which 
things  we  may  give  more  particular  consideration 
hereafter.  Chapter  xxvii.  arranges  for  the  outer 
court,  surrounding  the  Tabernacle  on  all  sides,  cover- 
ing a  space  of  one  hundred  cubits  by  fifty,  and 
containing  the  altar  of  burnt-offering,  and  the  laver 
for  the  cleansing  of  the  priests.  Nothing  in  all  those 
arrangements  is  too  small  or  too  insignificant  to  be 
made  the  subject  of  Divine  attention,  arrangement, 
and  commandment.  The  curtains  are  to  be  made 
of  a  specified  breadth,  and  are  to  be  joined  together, 
hung  up,  and  fastened  according  to  instructions  con- 
veyed in  great  detail.  The  sockets  for  the  boards  of 
the  Tabernacle  are  to  be  of  silver,  as  we  have 
already  noted;  those  for  the  pillars  of  the  outer 
court  are  to  be  of  brass,  or  rather,  copper ;  and  *'  all 
the  vessels  of  the  Tabernacle  "  (with  the  exception 
of  those  already  directed  to  be  made  of  gold)  "  in  all 
the  service  thereof,  and  all  the  pins  thereof,  and  all 
the  pins  of  the  court,  shall  be  of  copper"  (verse  19). 
The  directions  for  the  Tabernacle,  and  what  pertains 
to  it,  conclude  with  the  words  : 

"And  thou  shalt  command  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  they  shall  bring  to  thee  pure  beaten 
olive  oil  for  the  light,  to  cause  it  to  burn  always. 
In  the  Tabernacle  of  Assembly  without  the  veil, 


214  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

(which  is)  over  the  testimony,  Aaron  and  his 
sons  shall  keep  it  (the  light)  in  order  from  even- 
ing till  morning  before  Jehovah.     This  is   the 
commandment  for  ever  to  be  performed  by  the 
children  of  Israel  "  (verses  20,  21). 
The  olive  oil  was  usually  pressed.     That  which  was 
obtained  by  beating  the  olives  in  a  mortar  was  reck- 
oned the  purest  and  best.     It  was  the  latter  which 
•was  to  be  provided  for  the  lamps  of  the  Sanctuary. 

Instructions  for  the  garments  of  the  priests  are 
now  given  in  chapter  xxviii.,  and  the  requirements 
for  the  consecration  of  Aaron  and  his  sons  in 
chapter  xxix.  In  chapter  xxx.  one  thing,  which  has 
apparently  been  reserved  for  this  place,  is  arranged 
for.  It  is  the  altar  of  incense  (xxx.  i-io).  Seeing 
that  this  belongs  to  the  furniture  of  the  Tabernacle, 
we  should  have  expected  mention  of  it  in  chapters 
XXV.  or  xxvi.  Is  there  any  reason  \\hy  nothing 
should  have  been  said  of  it  there,  and  why  it  should 
be  arranged  for  just  at  this  point  in  these  communi- 
cations to  Moses  ?  A  glance  at  the  preceding  chapter 
will  suggest  a  reply.  The  priesthood,  which  has  just 
been  appointed,  is  to  be  in  constant  contact  with  this 
altar  of  incense.  It  is  there  that  Aaron  comes,  so  to 
say,  into  the  presence  of  God.  It  is  at  the  altar  of 
incense  he  presents  himself  before  his  Master,  and  is 
reminded  that  all  he  does  in  God's  House  is  done 
under  God's  eye,  and  in  the  sunshine  of  God's 
gracious  acceptance  of  him  and  of  his  work. 

"And  Aaron  shall  offer  incense  of  odours  upon 
it;    every  morning   and    every  evening   at   his 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  215 

trimming  of  the  lamps  he  shall  offer  incense 
upon  it.  And  in  kindling  the  lamps  between 
the  two  evenings  he  shall  burn  incense  upon  it : 
a  perpetual  incense  before  Jehovah  throughout 
your  generations"  (xxx.  7,  8). 

By  the  arrangement  thus  chosen,  the  priest  and  the 
incense  altar  are  placed  together,  so  that  its  peculiar 
relation  to  his  service  may  be  emphasised.  When 
we  recall  the  fact  that  the  incense  is  the  chosen 
symbol  of  prayer  we  receive  one  of  the  most  needful 
of  all  lessons.  It  is  by  prayer  that  we,  too,  enter 
God's  presence.  Through  it  alone  we  carry  with  us 
the  consciousness  that  all  we  do  is  done  under  God's 
eye.  Moses  is  next  told  how  the  silver  for  the  work 
of  the  Tabernacle  is  to  be  provided.  It  is  the  atone- 
ment money  paid  when  the  people  are  numbered : 
"  Then  shall  they  give  every  man  a  ransom  for  his 
soul"  (verse  12).  One  feature  in  this  levy  we  must 
not  omit  to  notice,  for  it  sheds  a  far-reaching  light 
upon  citizenship  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  Before 
God  all  men  are  equal.  "  There  is  no  difference." 
All  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God. 
All  the  saved  are  heirs  of  eternal  life  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Each,  from  twenty  years  old 
and  above,  gave  half  a  shekel.  "  The  rich  shall  not 
give  more,  and  the  poor  shall  not  give  less  "  (ver.  15). 
Then  follow  instructions  for  the  making  of  the  laver ; 
for  the  anointing  of  the  Tabernacle  ;  of  its  furniture 
and  instruments  of  service ;  of  the  altar  of  burnt 
offering  and  its  vessels  ;  and  of  Aaron  and  his  sons. 
Chapter   xxxi.    completes   this   revelation   given    to 


2i6  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

Moses  in  the  Mount.  He  is  told  that  God  has  pro- 
vided artificers  who  will  perform  the  work  of  the 
Tabernacle ;  and  all  is  concluded  with  a  word  regard- 
ing the  keeping  of  God's  Sabbaths.  The  world  loves 
holidays,  but  loathes  a  spiritual  holyday.  Every 
time  of  spiritual  declension  is  marked  by  disregard 
of  this  Divine  ordinance ;  and  in  every  attack  upon 
the  faith  the  Sabbath  is  one  of  the  main  objectives 
of  the  unbelieving. 

"And  speak  thou  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
saying,  Verily  My  Sabbaths  ye  shall  keep :  for 
this  is  a  sign  between  Me  and  you  throughout 
your  generations;  that  ye  may  know  that  I  am 
Jehovah  who  doth  sanctify  you.  .  .  .  Between 
Me  and  the  children  of  Israel  this  is  a  sign  for 
ever  "  (verses  15,  17). 


CHAPTER   II. 

The  Decalogue  in   Exodus  and  Deuteronomy. 

THE  Decalogue  has  been  a  much-discussed  matter 
among  the  critics.  For  them  it  bristles  with 
diffic;ilties.  Their  first  trouble  is  that  it  does  not 
appear  in  the  "  Book  of  the  Covenant."  In  a  note 
upon  the  Section  xix.  2^ — xxxiv.  28,  Addis  says : 
"  This  narrative  abounds  in  difficulties,  one  of  which 
affects  its  whole  structure,  and  may  be  discussed 
here.  From  Sinai  God  proclaims  the  'Ten  Words,' 
or  Decalogue,  in  the  hearing  of  the  people.     The 


The  Decalogue  in  Exodus  and  Deuteronomy.  217 

people  are  terrified,  and  after  that,  Moses  alone  ap- 
proaches God  and  receives  a  code  of  laws  (xx.  23 — 
xxxii.)  Moses  reads  this  code  to  the  people  ;  they 
promise  to  obey  it,  and  on  these  terms  enter  into  a 
solemn  covenant  with  Yahweh  (xxiv.  3-8).  In  these 
verses,  which  relate  this  solemn  engagement  into 
which  the  people  enter,  there  is  no  allusion  to  the 
Decalogue.  Indeed,  although  the  Decalogue  was 
given  before  the  'Book  of  the  Covenant,'  the  people 
as  yet  have  not  bound  themselves  to  the  former  at 
all ;  it  is  simply  ignored."  * 

It  is  difficult  to  satisfy  the  critics.  If  the  Deca- 
logue had  been  repeated,  that  would  have  been 
fastened  upon  as  a  repetition,  and  a  clear  proof  of 
different  sources.  But  in  this  case  the  trouble  is 
of  their  own  making.  We  are  told  that  Moses 
"  wrote  all  the  words  of  the  Lord,  and  rose  up  early 
in  the  morning,  and  builded  an  altar  " ;  and  that 
"  he  took  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  and  read  in  the 
audience  of  the  people  "  (xxiv.  4,  7) ;  but  the  contents 
of  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  are  nowhere  given. 
That  fact,  so  evident  to  any  ordinary  reader  of  the 
Scripture,  is  completely  ignored  by  the  critics.  It 
does  not  suit  them  to  note  it,  apparently  for  the 
reason  that  the  inconvenient  question  would  inevit- 
ably present  itself — if  we  do  not  possess  the  Book  of 
the  Covenant,  how  do  we  know  what  was  in  it,  or 
what  was  omitted  from  it  ?  The  passage  referred 
to  in  the  above  quotation  (xx.  23 — xxiii.)  is  never 
called  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,  though  it  is  dis- 

*  Tht  Documents  of  the  Hexateuch,  vol.  i.,  p.  13S. 


2i8  Elxodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

tinctly  to  be  understood  that  it  forms  part  of  it. 
Those  enactments  are  merely  the  rest  of  the  Law» 
which  Israel  was  unable  to  receive  direct  from  the 
lips  of  God.  These  were  the  words  spoken  to  Moses 
in  "the  thick  darkness  where  God  was"  (xx.  21). 
But  when  Moses  wrote  in  the  Book  of  the  Covenant 
"all  the  words  of  the  Lord,"  was  it  possible 
that  the  Decalogue  could  be  omitted  ?  Why  should 
those  which  God  Himself  had  uttered,  in  circum- 
stances never  forgotten  by  Israel,  be  excluded,  and 
only  the  continuation  of  the  Law  be  brought  before 
the  people  ?  And,  last  of  all,  how  came  the  idea  to 
occur  to  any  one  that,  although  we  are  plainly  told 
that  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  contained  "all, the 
words  of  the  Lord,"  the  ten  words  must  have  been 
left  out  by  either  accident  or  design  ? 

A  further  statement  by  Addis  is  significant.  He 
mentions  Wellhausen's  theory  that  "  the  Decalogue 
with  its  story  belongs  to  the  Elohist,  and  the  Book 
of  the  Covenant  with  its  story  to  the  Jahvist." 
"This  theory,"  he  says,  "may  be  confidently  dis- 
missed. The  Book  of  the  Covenant,  no  less  than 
the  Decalogue,  betrays  unmistakable  marks  of  the 
Elohist's  style."  But,  if  the  very  chief  of  the  critics 
fails  to  see  the  "  unmistakable  marks  of  the  Elohist's 
style,"  can  these  be  as  evident  as  the  critics  say  they 
are  ?  But  the  whole  truth  is  not  told  even  in  this 
criticism  of  Wellhausen.  There  is  another  supposed 
writer,  named  the  Deuteronomist,  to  whom  we  shall 
be  introduced  immediately.  He,  too,  is  said  to  have 
his  own  special  style,  the  marks  of  which  are  also 


The  Decalogue  in  Exodus  and  Deuteronomy.  219 

delared  to  be  "  unmistakable."  But  the  Decalogue, 
admitted  to  be  Mosaic  by  the  great  body  of  the 
critics,  contains  the  "  unmistakable  marks "  of  all 
three  writers !  As  we  have  seen,  Wellhausen  says  it 
is  Elohistic,  and  that  assertion  Addis  does  not  con- 
tradict. Besides,  as  the  reader  will  himself  note,  the 
name  Elohim,  '*  God,"  appears  in  it  with  frequency. 
But  so  also  does  the  name  Jehovah  !  "  I  am  the 
Lord  thy  God,"  Jehovah  thy  Elohim  (xx.  i,  5,  7,  10, 
II,  12).  Six  times,  therefore,  to  deal  only  with 
the  use  of  that  name,  there  occurs  this  unmistak- 
able mark  of  the  Jehovist.  And  the  hand  of  the 
Deuteronomist  is  equally  apparent.  Among  his 
peculiarities,  according  to  Dr.  Driver,*  is  the  use  of 
the  phrase,  "That  your  (or  thy)  days  maybe  long  "; 
and  here  is  that  very  phrase  in  Exodus  xx.  12 : 
"That  thy  days  may  be  long."  Another  mark  is 
**  the  land,  less  frequently  the  ground,  which  Jehovah 
thy  God  is  giving  thee  " ;  and  once  more,  therefore, 
we  meet  an  "  unmistakable  mark  "  of  the  Deuterono- 
mist in  the  continuation  of  the  verse  in  Exodus 
which  we  have  just  quoted  :  "  That  thy  days  may  be 
long  in  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee." 
Other  marks,  equally  "  unmistakable,"  might  be 
named,  but  let  these  suffice.  They  prove  that  Moses 
was  Jehovist,  Elohist,  and  Deuteronomist,  and  that 
critical  theories  are  irreconcilable  with  the  admissions 
which  critics  themselves  are  compelled  to  make. 

But  the  repetition  of  the  Decalogue  in  Deut.  v.  1-21 
is  one  of  the  most  highly-prized  articles  in  the  critics' 

*  Introduction,  p.  92. 


220  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

trading  stock.  Like  the  various  accounts  in  the 
Gospels  of  incidents  in  the  life  of  our  Lord,  this,  and 
other  variations,  have  been  cited  as  setting  aside  the 
statements  of  the  Scripture  as  to  the  Mosaic  Author- 
ship of  the  Pentateuch,  and  as  to  God  being  the  real 
Author  of  that  one  Book,  the  Bible,  which  from  its 
first  page  to  its  last  bears  the  Divine  stamp.  The 
following  puts  the  latter  contention  in  its  usual 
popular  form.  "  Neither  of  the  two  records  which  we 
have  of  the  one  Decalogue  can  by  any  possibility  be 
regarded  as  verbally  and  infallibly  inspired ;  and  this 
for  the  simple  reason  that  they  differ,  not  only  in 
■  slight  particulars  of  words,  but  also  in  a  noteworthy 
way  as  to  the  reason  for  the  Sabbath-law  and  .as  to 
the  command  against  coveting."  *  This,  as  a  piece  of 
reasoning,  is  unique.  For  it  can  only  mean  that  if 
Professor  Ladd,  for  instance,  should  ever  have  made 
two  varying  statements  regarding  the  same  matter, 
neither  of  them  "  can  by  any  possibility  be  regarded 
as  his"!  Had  it  been  contended  that  the  second 
statement  could  not  be  his,  some  faint  trace  of  what 
is  ordinarily  called  reasoning  might  have  been  dis- 
cerned ;  but  to  maintain  that  the  second  statement 
proves  that  not  even  the  first  was  his,  is  too  ridicu- 
lous for  description.  Why  should  it  be  imagined 
that  an  inspired  author,  anymore  than  an  uninspired 
author,  must  never  repeat  with  variation  ?  Why 
must  every  subsequent  statement  repeat  the  first 
with  the  rigid  fidelity  of  cast-iron  ?  When  the  repe- 
tition is  made,  it  is  made  because  circumstances  have 

•  Ladd.     What  is  the  Bible  ?  p.  107. 


The  Decalogue  in  Exodus  and  Deuteronomy.  221 

called  for  it ;  and  if  the  circumstances  vary,  why 
should  not  the  re-statement  also  vary  ?  If  the  Spirit 
of  God  is  not  less  free  than  the  spirit  of  man,  and  if 
the  Divine  is  not  in  less  close  and  sympathetic  touch 
with  reality  than  the  human,  the  lack  of  variation 
would  really  have  proved  that  the  second  statement 
could  not  be  Divine ;  for  had  it  been  Divine,  the 
statement  would  have  met  and  reflected  the  circum- 
stances of  the  second  occasion,  just  as  the  original 
statement  had  met  and  reflected  the  circumstances 
of  the  first  occasion. 

But  critical  references  to  this  matter  are  chiefly 
notable  for  the  use  that  has  been  made  of  it  to  prove 
that  the  author  of  Deuteronomy  could  not  have  been 
the  author  of  Exodus.  Dr.  Driver  prints  the  two 
accounts  side  by  side,  placing  the  vaiiations  in  the 
fourth,  fifth,  and  tenth  commandments  in  italics. 
I  reproduce  this  that  the  reader  may  have  the  entire 
foundation  for  this  critical  contention  under  his  eye. 
ExoDOS  XX.  Deuteronomy  v. 

8.  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  12.  Observe  the  Sabbath  day  to 
to  keep  it  holy.  keep  it  holy,  as  Jehovah  thy  God 

commanded  thee. 

Here  the  variations  are  in  the  most  complete  accord 
with  the  circumstances.  Israel  is  asked  in  Exodus 
to  "remember"  the  Sabbath,  because  it  was  not  a 
Mosaic  institution,  but  had  been  appointed  at  the 
creation.  In  Deuteronomy  they  are  to  "observe" 
what  was  already  re-instituted,  and  this  with  a 
distinct  reminiscence  of  the  giving  of  the  Law  at 
Sinai — "as  Jehovah    thy   God  commanded  thee.". 


222  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxii. 


Nothing    could    more    fully    demonstrate    unity   of 
authorship. 


EXODOS   XX. 

9.  Six  days  shalt  thou  labour 
and  do  all  tny  work  :  10.  but  the 
seventh  day  is  a  Sabbath  unto 
Jehovah  thv  God :  in  it  thou 
shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou,  nor 
thy  son,  nor  tby  daughter, 
thy  man-servant,  nor  thy  maid- 
servant, nor 

my  cattle,  nor 
thy  stranger  that  w  within  thy 
gates : 


II.  for  In  six  days  jehovah 
made  heaven,  and  eartn,  the  sea, 
and  all  that  in  tnem  is,  and 
rested  the  seventh  day  :  tnerefore 
Jehovah  blessed  the  Saboathday 
and  hallowed  it. 


Dedteronomy  v. 
13.  Six  days  shalt  thou  labour 
and  do  all  thy  work  :  14.  bnt  the 
seventh  day  is  a  Sabbath  unto 
Jehovah  thy  God :  in  it  thou 
shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou,  nor 
thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  nor 
thy  man-servant,  nor  thy  maid- 
servant, nor  thine  ox,  nor  thine 
ass,  nor  any  of  thy  cattle,  nor 
thy  stranger  that  is  within  thy 
gates:  in  order  that  thy  man- 
servant and  thy  maid-servant  may 
rest  as  well  as  thou.  15.  And 
thou  shalt  remember  that  thou 
wast  a  servant  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  Jehovah  thy  God 
hroiiglit  thee  out  thence  by  a 
mighty  hand,  and  by  a  stretched 
out  arm  :  therefore  jfehovah  thy 
God  commanded  thee  to  keep  the 
Sabbath  day. 


These  variations  reflect  again  the  changed  circum- 
stances in  which  the  words  in  Deuteronomy  were 
spoken.  When  Israel  was  in  the  wilderness,  and 
with  no  immediate  prospect  of  either  ploughing  or 
harvesting,  nothing  was  said  about  ass  or  ox  benefit- 
ing by  the  Sabbath  rest.  But  now,  when  Israel  is 
actually  upon  the  borders  of  the  promised  land,  and 
when  a  few  weeks  will  see  them  in  possession  of 
their  farms,  this  injunction  is  called  for  and  is  given. 
The  long-concluding  reference  to  the  slavery  of  Israel 
in  Egypt  is  equally  in  place  in  Deuteronomy,  and 
that  to  the  creation  in  Exodus.  In  the  latter  Book, 
the    opening   word,    "  Remember,"    reminded    the 


The  Decalogue  in  Exodus  and  Deuteronomy.   223 

Israelite  of  the  fact  that  the  Sabbath  was  coeval 
with  man's  creation,  and  therefore  the  original  sanc- 
tion of  it  is  repeated  in  verse  11  (see  Gen.  ii.  1-3). 
All  other  nations  hd.d forgotten  to  keep  it  holy;  and, 
therefore,  upon  this  one  people,  through  whom  the 
redemption  of  humanity  is  to  be  accomplished,  the 
solemn  injunction  is  laid  to  remember  the  seventh  day 
— an  injunction  which  Israel  has  sacredly  kept.  In 
Deuteronomy,  on  the  other  hand,  the  reference  is 
not  now  to  that  first  commandment  given  at  man's 
creation,  but  to  the  recent  re-enactment  at  Sinai — 
"  Therefore  Jehovah  thy  God  commanded  thee  to 
keep  the  Sabbath  day."  The  Israelite  is  now  ad- 
dressed as  a  landowner  and  master.  He  has  to 
combat  the  temptations  which  are  certain  to  be 
associated  with  that  position.  He  will  occasionally 
grudge  the  loss  of  time,  when  time  is  precious,  and 
he  will  always  be  open  to  the  suggestions  of  avarice. 
Hence  it  is  that  he  is  reminded  here  of  his  former 
servitude  and  of  the  mercy  which  brought  him  de- 
liverance. That  memory  will  make  the  slave's  rest- 
day  sacred  in  the  master's  eyes. 

ExoDDs  XX.  Deuteronomy  v. 

12.  Honour  thy  father  and  thy         i6.  Honour  thy  father  and  thy 

mother,  mother,  as  Jehovah  thy  God  com- 

that  thy  days  may  manded  thee,  that  thy  days  may 

be  long,  be  long,  and  that  it  may  be  well 

upon  the  land  which  with   thee  upon  the  land  which 

Jehovah  thy  God  is  giving  thee.  Jehovah  thy  God  is  giving  thee. 

Here  again  Deuteronomy  refers  to  Exodus — **« 
Jehovah  thy  God  commanded  thee,''  that  is,  at  Sinai. 
The  addition — ^*that  it  may  be  well  with  thee,''  here 


224  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

addressed  to  Israel  as  it  is  about  to  step  over  into 
the  land,  is  strikingly  appropriate. 

Exodus  xx.  Deuteronomy  v. 

17.  Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  21.  Thou  shall  not  covet  thy 
neighbour's  house,  thou  shalt  neighbour's  wife,  and  thou  shalt 
not  covet  thy  neighbour's  wife,  not  desire  thy  neighbour's  house, 
or  his  man-servant,  or  his  field,  or  his  man-servant,  or 
his  maid-servant,  or  his  ox,  or  his  his  maid-servant,  his  ox,  or  his 
ass,  or  anything  that  is  thy  neigh-  ass,  or  anything  that  is  thy  neigh- 
bour's, hour's. 

Here  the  differences  are  slight,  but  are,  nevertheless, 
significant.  Emphasis  is  cast  by  the  inversion  of 
the  two  first  injunctions  of  Deuteronomy  v.  2i  upon 
a  temptation  which  might  strongly  assail  them 
among  their  licentious  surroundings  in  Canaan.  In 
the  addition  forbidding  the  coveting  of  a  neighbour's 
"  field,"  we  mark  again  the  hope  of  immediate  entry 
into  the  land.  Dr.  Driver's  translation,  "  desire,"  of 
tiihavveh,  the  word  here  exchanged  for  the  "  covet " 
of  Exodus,  is  not  strong  enough.  It  is  "  deiire  for 
thyself,"  a  variation  perhaps  called  for  by  the  same 
surroundings  of  unbridled  selfishness  and  lust. 

What  now  is  the  result  of  this  minute  comparison 
of  the  two  accounts  of  the  Decalogue?  Simply 
additional  confirmation  of  the  Mosaic  history.  The 
first  is  a  monument  raised  among  the  experiences  of 
Sinai ;  the  second  recalls  the  last  days  of  Moses,  on 
the  plains  of  Moab.  Both  also  set  forth  the  Spirit's 
method  in  conveying  to  us  this  word  of  the  living 
God.  When  no  change  is  called  for,  the  words 
chosen  upon  a  former  occasion  remain  unaltered. 
When  the  words  are  changed,  they  are  changed  to 
meet  the  altered  circumstances.    The  critic  has  con- 


The  Tabernacle  :  Its  Structure  and  Symbolism.   225 

sequently  failed  to  disprove  either  the  full  inspiration 
of  Scripture,  or  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  Exodus 
and  Deuteronomy.  He  has,  on  the  contrary,  directed 
us  to  fresh  proofs  of  both. 


CHAPTER   III. 

The   Tabernacle  :    Its   Structure   and 
Symbolism. 

THERE  has  been  considerable  discussion  in 
regard  to  the  form  of  the  Tabernacle.  What, 
for  example,  was  its  breadth?  One  conclusion  is 
that  this  was  twelve  cubits.  There  were  eight  boards 
which  formed  the  western  end  of  the  Tabernacle. 
These  are  divided  into  six  boards  and  two  corner 
boards  (xxvi.  22,  23).  Now,  if  the  law  regarding  the 
boards  applied  to  those  corner  boards  as  well,  the 
breadth  must  have  been  twelve  cubits,  seeing  that 
each  board  was  to  be  one  and  a-half  cubits  broad. 
But  the  constant  tradition  has  been  that  the  breadth 
of  the  Tabernacle  was  equal  to  the  height — ten 
cubits.  In  that  case,  each  corner  board  must  have 
added  only  half  a  cubit  to  the  breadth.  This  may 
be  the  reason  why  these  two  are  separated  from  the 
other  six  in  the  directions  which  are  given. 

A  still  more  important  question  is  that  in  regard 
to  the  form  of  the  structure.-  Was  the  roof  flat? 
Or  was  it  elevated  in  the  middle,  as  has  always  been 
usual  in  tent-construction  ?     If  the  roof  had  been 

Q 


226  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

flat  the  covering  curtains  must  have  been  subjected 
to  great  pressure  in  the  event  of  rain;  and  the 
question  would  inevitably  have  been  raised  as  to  how 
such  a  building  could  be  called  a  "  tent."  Other  in- 
dications incline  a  reader  to  the  belief  that  the  form 
was  that  of  the  ordinary  tent  with  a  ridge-pole. 
There  are  five  pillars  prepared  for  the  front.  This 
number  shows  that  one  was  intended  for  the  centre,  and 
may  have  been  used  as  a  support  for  a  ridge-pole. 
Then,  an  ordinary  tent-roof  seems  to  be  indicated 
by  the  length  of  the  curtains.  A  tent-roof,  the  sides 
forming  at  the  top  a  right  angle,  would  give  a  little 
under  fourteen  cubits  for  each  of  the  sloping  sides. 
The  fine  linen  curtain,  plainly  meant  to  be  seen  from 
within,  was  exactly  twenty-eight  cubits  long  (that  is, 
twice  fourteen  cubits),  and  would  thus  form  the  roof. 
The  curtain  which  was  to  cover  this,  thirty  cubits 
long,  was  to  hang  one  cubit  over  each  side,  which  it 
would  do  exactly,  if  the  roof  measured  fourteen 
cubits  on  each  side. 

These  are  the  reasons  urged  for  the  tent-form. 
But,  since  nothing  seems  to  be  said  regarding  what 
must  have  been  necessary  arrangements  for  the  ridge- 
pole, and  at  least  one  supporting  pillar  inside  the 
Tabernacle,  as  well  as  another  at  the  western  end, 
the  former  opinion  that  the  roof  was  flat,  seems  to 
have  more  in  its  favour.  There  we  must  leave  that 
question  for  the  present.  An  inquiry  that  is  more 
vital  relates  to  the  import  of  this  multitude  of 
minute  directions.  Were  these  a  call  to  Israel  and 
to  us  to  gather  round  this  sacred  fane  and  to  mark 


The  Tabernacle  :    Its  Structure  and  Symbolism.  227 

the  work  of  God's  hands?  Were  they  a  repeated 
announcement  that  God  was  planting  here  intima- 
tions of  those  better  things  that  were  yet  to  come  ? 
The  New  Testament  has  furnished  a  strongly  affirma- 
tive reply  (see  Hebrews  ix. — x.)  But  we  need  not  go 
beyond  the  Old  Testament  itself  to  be  satisfied  that 
there  is  some  symbolic  import  in  those  Tabernacle 
arrangements.  We  have  seen  that  there  is,  in  the 
directions  given  to  Moses,  no  disorder,  nor  the 
slightest  indication  of  uncertainty.  There  is,  on  the 
contrary,  the  most  superb  mastery  alike  of  the  entire 
plan,  and  of  all,  even  the  most  minute,  details. 
When,  therefore,  we  find  that  an  order  is  followed 
which  is  far  from  being  what  seems  to  us  the  natural 
order,  there  must  have  been  some  good  reason  under- 
lying the  choice  that  is  made  of  it.  In  xxv.  10,  the 
directions  for  the  building  of  the  Tabernacle  begin 
with  those  for  the  making  of  the  ark.  Let  it  be 
remembered  that  as  yet  there  is  no  provision  made 
for  anything  besides.  We  should  have  commenced 
with  the  boards  of  the  Tabernacle,  or  with  the  outer 
coverings,  or  with  the  curtains.  Certainly  this  most 
sacred  of  all  things,  which  the  Tabernacle  was  to 
contain  and  to  protect,  would  not  have  been  touched 
till  a  place  was  made  to  receive  it.  Nevertheless, 
God's  first  word  is :  "  They  shall  make  an  ark,"  &c. 
Is  there,  then,  any  discoverable  reason  why  that 
should  be  the  first  and  central  object  in  this  symbolic 
structure,  and  that  everything  else  should  be  added 
to  it,  and  be  gathered  round  it?  What  is  the  ark?  It 
is  God's  resting-place.    The  Divine  glory  is  over  the 


228  Ejcodus — Redeemed  with  God — xix. — xxxi. 

blood-stained  mercy  seat ;  and  there,  over  the  shed 
blood  of  the  accepted  sacrifice,  there  is  reconciliation 
and  favour  for  sinful  man.  When  the  truth  thus 
symbolised  is  declared  with  fidelity  and  simplicity, 
and  with  the  fervour  born  of  belief — when  the  mercy 
seat  is  manifested — all  else  gathers  round  it  that  is 
needed  to  make  a  dwelling-place  for  God  anywhere 
and  to  provide  for  His  service.  But,  let  the  great 
truths  of  reconciliation  for  sinful  man  through  the 
shed  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  be  discredited,  dis- 
believed, or  concealed,  the  glory  of  God  is  not  mani- 
fested, salvation  appears  to  be  a  mere  figment,  an 
empty  phrase,  an  echo  lingering  in  a  place  where 
faith  once  lived,  and  worshipped,  and  served.    ■ 

The  same  truth  is  emphasised  when  we  come  to 
the  directions  for  the  outer  court.  There  we  should 
have  expected  that  the  first  thing  seen  to  would  have 
been  the  preparation  of  the  pillars  and  their  sockets, 
the  curtains,  &c.  Then,  having  formed  the  court 
itself,  we  should  have  seen  to  the  furniture  of  it — the 
altar  and  the  laver,  and  the  necessary  utensils  for  the 
altar  service.  But  once  more  the  finger  of  God  is 
laid  first  upon  that  which  is  essential  if  any  sinful 
man  is  to  come  into  His  presence.  The  instructions 
commence  with  the  words  (xxvii.  i):  "And  thou 
shalt  make  an  altar,"  &c.  It  is  the  altar  of  burnt 
offering,  on  the  north  side  of  which  the  victim  is 
slain,  and  whose  four  horns  are  anointed  with  its 
blood,  thus,  as  it  were,  proclaiming  to  north, 
south,  east  and  west — the  ends  of  the  earth — that 
the  Divinely-selected  victim   has  died,  and  that  its 


The  Tabernacle  :  Its  Structure  and  SymboiisUL  229 

blood  is  accepted  of  God  as  a  covering  for  sin.  It  is 
there  that  the  line  is  drawn  between  the  unclean  and 
the  holy,  between  the  common  and  the  consecrated. 
The  cross  of  Christ  has  divided  between  the  ancient 
world  and  the  modern.  It  has  drawn  a  still  deeper 
dividing  line  between  the  past  life  and  the  after  life 
of  millions.  Banish  or  leave  out  the  altar,  and  there 
is  not  even  a  beginning  made  in  preparing  a  place 
where  God  may  dwell  among  men.  The  most  perfect 
workmanship,  the  most  costly  adornments,  will  en- 
close nothing  that  is  truly  apart  from  the  world  and 
consecrated  to  God. 

The  Tabernacle  itself  has  its  teaching.  It  is 
thirty  cubits  long,  ten  cubits  high,  and  ten  cubits 
wide.  It  thus  embraces  three  cubes  of  ten  cubits 
long,  ten  cubits  high,  and  ten  cubits  wide.  The  cube 
is  unalterable.  Place  it  where  and  how  one  will,  it  is 
always  the  same.  It  may,  therefore,  be  intended  to 
be  taken  as  symbolic  of  Deity,  and  the  union  of 
three  as  emblematic  of  the  Trinity.  If  we  now 
observe  the  uses  to  which  the  Tabernacle  is  put,  we 
perceive  a  significant  foreshadowing  of  the  Christian 
revelation.  The  third  division  is  the  presence  chamber 
of  Jehovah :  the  other  two  form  the  access  to  it. 
There  is  but  one  way  of  approach  to  God — one  means 
by  which  we  may  know  the  Father  and  dwell  with 
Him.  It  is  through  the  work  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Again,  there  is  but  one  means 
of  illumination  for  the  Holy  Place — the  seven- 
branched  lamp-stand.  These  lamps  are  the  Churches 
(Rev.  i.  20).     As  the  Church  sheds  light  upon  Christ 


230  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God- 


-XIX. — XXXi. 


and  upon  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  way  to  the  holiest  of 
all  is  made  manifest.  Let  that  light  be  withdrawn, 
and  the  way  to  the  Father  is  shrouded  in  darkness. 

With  a  brief  reference  to  another  New  Testament 
interpretation  of  those  ancient  types,  I  close  these 
slight  notices  of  the  contents  of  this  great  picture 
gallery  of  the  Old  Testament.     In  Ephesians  v.  26, 
a  fruitful  hint  is  dropped  regarding  the  laver  which 
stood  in  the  Court  of  the  Tabernacle.     The  apostle, 
speaking  to  the  married,  says:  "Husbands,  love  your 
wives,  even  as  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave 
Himself  for  it ;  that  He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse 
it  with  the  washing  of  water  by  the  Word,  that  He 
might  present  it  to  Himself  a  glorious  Church,  not 
having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing;  but  that 
it  should  be  holy  and  without  blemish  "  (verses  25-27). 
Verse  26  reads  literally:  "That  He  might  sanctify 
her,  having  purified  (her)  in  the  layer  of  the  water 
in  the  Word."     We  have  here  the  meeting  point, 
and,  therefore,  the  concentrated  light,  of  several  types. 
The  laver  stood  midway  between  the  altar  and  the 
Tabernacle.     The  priest  had  to  bathe  his  flesh  there 
that  he  might  present  himself  before  God.     Now  let 
us  recall  two  things.    The  Church  is  not  only  Christ's 
Bride:  she  is  His  body.  His  flesh.    That  is  one  part, 
and  a  most  essential  part,  of  the  interpretation.    We 
have  another  in  the  fact  that  He  is  also  the  High 
Priest,  the  minister  of  the  true  sanctuary.    The  third 
and  last  type  is  this  of  the  laver ;  and  we  are  here 
told,  in  effect,  that  the  laver  is  the  Scripture.     The 
contents  of  it  are  "the  water  in  the  Word."     We 


The  Tabernacle  :   Its  Structure  and  Symbolism.  231 

have  stood  with  our  High  Priest  at  the  altar;  and 
our  sin  has  been  atoned  for  and  put  away.     But  the 

bitterness,  ever  springing  up  within,  has  to  be"sweet- 
ened.  Habits  contracted  in  the  days  of  our  ignorance 
have  to  be  manifested,  arrested,  abandoned.  The 
unclean  thing  has  to  be  purified  and  made  glorious  in 
holiness.  And  now  the  type  throws  light  upon  the 
place  where,  and  the  means  by  which,  this  mighty 
transformation  is  to  be  wrought.  Our  High  Priest, 
passing  into  the  presence  of  the  Father,  takes  us, 
His  flesh,  to  the  Word.  We  rejoice  in  the  coolness 
and  refreshing  of  the  "opened"  Scripture;  but  it  has 
also  a  further  ministry.  As  water  penetrates  the  par- 
ticles of  the  soil  upon  the  flesh  that  is  steeped  in  it, 
and  loosens  them,  so  this  Word  of  God  penetrates 
and  loosens  the  soil  upon  the  soul.  One  sweep  of  our 
High  Priest's  hand  and  the  stain  disappears,  and  the 
soft  clean  flesh  is  seen  in  its  native  beauty.  Thus 
we  are  purified  by  the  Saviour's  invisible  but  ever- 
present  ministry.  And  we  are  purified  at  the  laver.  If 
Satan  succeed  in  his  present  attempt  to  remove  that, 
where  shall  Christ's  poor  Church  find  cleaDsing  ? 


SECTION  III. 

The  Apostacy  of  Israel,  and  the 

Building   of   the   Tabernacle   by  the 

Reconciled   People 

(XXXIL— XL.) 


CHAPTER   I. 
The  Contents  of  the  Section. 

AS  we  have  already  noted,  the  narrative  in  the 
preceding  Section  has  kept  closely  to  its  own 
theme — the  giving  of  the  Law.  Events  had  been 
occurring  meanwhile  in  the  plains  below,  among 
the  people  on  whose  behalf  Moses  has  appeared  in 
God's  presence,  and  to  whom  he  is  about  to  carry 
down  these  last  commandments,  as  well  as  the  two 
Divinely-inscribed  tables,  and  the  plan  for  the 
Tabernacle.  Of  the  events  happening  among  the 
people,  however,  the  narrative  has  said  nothing  up 
to  the  close  of  chapter  xxxi.  It  is  only  at  the 
commencement  of  this  concluding  Section,  and  as 
introduction  to  what  is  to  follow,  that  we  are  told  of 
the  terrible  scene  that  is  being  enacted  in  front  of 
Horeb,  and  of  the  command  to  Moses  to  hasten 
down  because  his  people  have  "turned  aside  quickly 
out  of  the  way"  (xxxii.  8).  The  narrative  is  thus 
invested  with  the  highest  dramatic   interest.     We 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  233 

are  told  briefly,  but  fully,  of  Israel's  revolt,  and 
of  their  making,  enthroning,  and  worshipping  the 
work  of  their  own  hands  at  the  very  foot  of  that 
mountain,  which,  but  a  few  weeks  before,  had  pro- 
claimed the  presence  of  the  Creator  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  on  which  their  Mediator  is  even  now 
interceding  on  their  behalf  with  Him  in  Whose 
hand  their  breath  is.  We  next  hear  the  startling 
announcement  to  Moses,  and  witness  his  pleading 
with  an  offended  God.  Then  the  story  proceeds, 
through  chastisement  and  mercy,  till  the  clouds 
clear  away,  and  a  dwelling-place  for  Jehovah  is 
erected  and  accepted  amidst  a  repentant  and  recon- 
ciled people. 

The  Section  opens  with  the  words  : — 
"And  the  people  saw  that  Moses  failed  to 
descend  from  the  mount;  and  the  people  as- 
sembled themselves  against  Aaron,  and  said  to 
him,  Arise,  make  for  us  a  god  (an  Elohiin)  who 
shall  go  before  us;  because  as  for  this  Moses, 
the  man  who  brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  we  know  not  what  has  happened  to 
him"  (xxxii.  i). 

That  address  rings  with  the  tone  of  insolent, 
peremptory,  command.  The  contemptuous  refer- 
ence to  Moses  is  couched  in  the  same  spirit — **  this 
Moses."  All  his  unwearied  service,  and  his  un- 
ceasing prayers  for  them,  are  forgotten.  There  is  no 
proposal  to  send  out  a  search-party  lest  some  mis- 
chance has  befallen  him  and  Joshua.  No,  they  are, 
on  the  contrary,  glad  to  be  done  with  him ;  and  now 


234   Elxodus — Redeemed  with  God — xxxii. — xl. 

they  will  get  back  to  the  idolatrous  religion  of 
pleasure,  whose  festivals  and  mad  merriment  they 
have  remembered  with  many  a  sigh.  Aaron  is  quick 
to  read  the  meaning  of  their  revolt  and  the  menace 
in  their  bearing.  Whoever  may  be  prepared  to 
withstand  the  people,  it  is  not  he.  It  is  profitless 
work  for  us  to  condemn  Aaron.  It  may  help  us 
more  to  note  how  his  offence  has  been  paralleled  in 
every  age,  and  how  it  is  being  repeated  to-day  by 
men  who  know  the  evil  propensities  of  their  time, 
and  are,  nevertheless,  shielding,  and  actually  pro- 
moting, the  very  things  which  they  inwardly  deplore. 
Their  plea  is  identical  with  his :  the  people  compel 
them,  for  they  will  have  it  so  !  (verses  2-6). 

We  are  now  led  back  again  to  the  Mount.  The 
words  to  Moses  terrify  him  by  their  intimation  that 
God  has  renounced  those  who  have  renounced  Him. 
God  speaks  of  them,  not  as  His  people,  but  as 
"thy  people  which  thou  broughtest  up  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt."  Then  the  indignation  of  God 
is  disclosed  in  the  words :  "  I  have  seen  this  people, 
and,  behold,  it  is  a  stiffnecked  people.  Now  there- 
fore let  Me  alone,  that  My  wrath  may  wax  hot 
against  them,  and  that  I  may  consume  them :  and  I 
will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation "  (verses  9,  10). 
Moses,  tull  of  alarm  and  grief,  implores  God  to  have 
mercy.  He  fills  his  mouth  with  arguments  for  a 
people  that  not  so  long  ago  were  on  the  point  of 
slaying  him.  He  reminds  God  of  the  triumph  that 
will  sweep  over  Egypt  at  the  news  of  Israel's  annihil- 
ation, and  that  they  will  credit    Him  with    having 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  235 

resolved  from  the  outset  to  lead  Israel  to  its  destruc- 
tion. And  that  prayer  of  Moses  on  the  mountain 
top  saved  Israel:  "Jehovah  repented  of  the  evil 
which  He  thought  to  do  unto  His  people  "—note  the 
words,  "  His  people."  God  in  His  mercy  once  more 
acknowledges  them  (verses  7-14).  How  often  has 
our  Mediator's  intercession,  unheard  and  unwitnessed 
by  us,  stood  between  ourselves  and  destruction  ? 
Having  prevailed  in  his  intercession  : 

"  Moses  turned  himself  and  descended  from 
the  mount;    and  the  two  tables  (or  tablets)  of 
stone  (were)  in  his  hand,  tables  written  on  both 
their  sides :  on  this  side  and  on  that  were  they 
written.     And  the  tables  were  the  work  of  God, 
and  the  writing  was  the  writing  of  God  graven 
upon  the  tables"  (verses  15,  16). 
That  description  of  the  sacredness  of  that  Divine 
testimony  prepares  us  for  the   scene  which  we  are 
now  about  to  witness.     As  Moses  and  Joshua  (who 
has  now  joined  him)  descend,  they  hear  the  cries  of 
the  rejoicing  multitude  below.   Joshua  is  astonished, 
and  rushes  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  "  war  in 
the  camp."     But  Moses'  ear  has  caught  the  well- 
remembered  sounds  of  the  Egyptian  festive  songs, 
and  his  fears  spring  up  afresh.     They  advance  with 
hurrying  steps ;  and  when,  as  a  turn  in  the  pathway 
brings  the  camp  into  view,  and  Israel's  shame  is 
spread  before  them,  "  Moses'  anger  waxed  hot,  and 
he  cast  the  tables  out  of  his  hands,  and  brake  them 
beneath   the   mount"    (verse    19),      To  have  given 
those  sacred  memorials  into  the  keeping  of  a  people 


236  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xxxii. — xl. 

like  this,  was  to  this  servant  of  God  an  inconceivable 
degradation;  and  so  he  cast  the  tables  over  the 
brink  of  the  precipice,  and  they  were  dashed  to 
fragments  upon  the  rocks  below. 

The  wrath  of  Moses,  when  he  entered  the  camp 
and  saw  the  calf  and  the  frantic  dancing  of  the  wor- 
shippers, did  not  abate.  Terrible  in  his  indignation, 
he  brushed  people  and  priest  aside.  The  idol  was 
burned  and  ground  into  powder.  But  Moses' 
presence,  even  though  he  had,  as  it  were,  come 
back  from  the  dead,  did  not,  and  could  not,  quell 
the  tumult. 

"And  Moses  saw  the  people  that  it  had  broken 
loose  ;  for  Aaron  had  let  them  break  loose  for  a 
laughing-stock  among  those  that  rise  against 
them  "  (verse  25). 

The  word  translated  in  our  version  '*  naked  "  indi- 
cates rather  that  the  people  were  now  out  of  hand ; 
they  had  seized  the  reins,  and  were  no  longer  amen- 
able to  authority.  Moses'  decision  was  quickly  made. 
He  passed  out  from  among  the  revellers,  and,  taking 
his  stand  in  the  gate  of  the  camp,  shouted 
*•  Who  (is)  for  Jehovah  ?  Unto  me  ! " 
The  tribe  of  Levi  responded ;  and  now  the  sternest 
of  all  tasks  was  allotted  to  them.  They  were  made 
to  pass  throughout  the  camp  from  gate  to  gate, 
slaying  with  the  sword  friend  and  brother.  They 
were  to  follow  none  within  their  tents.  They  were 
to  slay  only  those  that  were  madly  bent  upon  per- 
petuating Israel's  apostacy.     And  peace  fell  at  last 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  237 

upon  the  camp.  The  rebellion  was  quelled ;  but  not 
before  nearly  3,000  corpses,  gashed  and  gory,  strewed 
the  scene  of  the  revolt.  That  service  of  unswerving 
fidelity  saved  Israel,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
Levitical  supremacy. 

On  the  morrow  came  repentance  and  intercession. 
Moses  is  ready  to  offer  himself  a  sacrifice  for  his 
people.  His  broken  prayer  permits  us  to  look  into 
the  depths  of  sorrow  through  which  the  servant  of 
God  was  then  passing  (see  verse  32).  The  first  result 
was  that  God  promised  to  give  them  the  land,  but 
intimated  that  He  would  withdraw  from  among  them  : 
He  would  send  His  angel.  The  repentance  of  the 
people,  though  shallow,  was  sincere  ;  and  when  they 
heard  "  these  evil  tidings,  they  mourned  :  and  no  man 
did  put  on  him  his  ornaments.     For 

"Jehovah  had  said  to  Moses,  Say  to  the 
children  of  Israel,  Ye  are  a  stifFnecked  people : 
in  one  moment  I  will  come  up  into  the  midst  of 
thee,  and  I  will  make  an  end  of  thee  "  (verse  5). 

And  now  came  a  period  of  desolation.  In  accord- 
ance with  the  Divine  command,  their  ornaments  were 
put  away,  and  seem  not  to  have  been  resumed  again 
throughout  their  entire  journey.  And  the  tent,  to 
which  the  worshipping  people  had  hitherto  come, 
was  removed  by  Moses,  and  pitched  without  the 
camp — the  symbol  of  God's  removal  from  among 
them. 

It  may  be  that,  while  we  "have  no  difficulty  in 
understanding  the  removal  of  this  tabernacle,  and 
the  order  to  put  away  their  ornaments,  we  may  find  it 


238  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xxxii. — xl. 

hard  to  see  why  there  should  be  this  relation  between 
God's  presence  and  the  Divine  severity.  It  is  in 
order  that  He  may  spare  them— that  He  may  prevent 
their  utter  destruction — that  God  removes  from  their 
midst !  He  is  acting  in  mercy,  we  are  told ;  for,  if 
He  were  present  among  them,  He  would  consume 
them  !  Who,  it  may  be  asked,  can  understand  this  ? 
And  yet  the  explanation  is  simple  enough.  A  king 
may  find  much  within  the  boundaries  of  his  territory 
which  calls  for  the  firm  application  of  the  laws ;  but 
he  waits  with  patience  till  the  steps  taken  by  himself 
and  his  counsellors  bear  their  expected  fruit.  If 
similar  disorders,  however,  were  to  occur  within  the 
king's  own  household,  they  would  be  utterly  intoler- 
able. The  perpetrators  of  such  offences  there,  would 
be  immediately  overwhelmed  with  an  indignation 
which  would  make  the  very  thought  of  such  temerity 
a  terror.  For  how  could  the  king  presume  to  punish 
crime,  and  to  put  down  disorder  throughout  his  land, 
if  these  disorders  were  things  so  natural,  and  so  much 
to  be  looked  for,  that  they  were  of  constant  occurrence 
in  his  own  palace  ?  The  arm  of  justice  would  be 
paralysed,  and  the  monarch's  pretensions  to  be  the 
preserver  of  order  and  of  right  would  be  the  mark 
for  universal  contempt  and  derision.  And  how  could 
God,  laying  down  here  the  foundations  of  His  king- 
dom, have  suffered  those  very  sins,  which  He  will 
sweep  away  from  the  earth,  to  flourish  in  the  midst 
of  those  whom  He  is  gathering  to  His  aid,  so  that 
He  may  end  the  earth's  iniquity?  His  very  presence 
among  such  a  people — the  very  fact  that  they  formed 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  239 

the  household  of  Jehovah — would  have  ensured  their 
destruction. 

Moses  now  gathers  boldness,  and  presents  a  larger 
request   than  the   terribleness   of   Israel's   sin   had 
hitherto  permitted  him  to  ask.    He  bases  it  upon  the 
favour  which  God  has  shown  himself.     If  God  has 
blessed  him,   so  conscious  of  failure,  will  He  not 
pardon  them  ?     And  so  he  dares  to  remind  Jehovah, 
whom  they  have  so  grievously  offended,  that  this 
nation  is  nevertheless  His  own.    "  Consider  that  this 
nation  is  Thy  people !  "     And  the  plea  is  accepted. 
Moses  is  cheered  by  the  Divine  answer:  "  My  presence 
shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest  "  (ver.  14). 
Moses'  reply  is  one  more  precious  than  gold  or  gems, 
and  one  which  the  Church  has  treasured  throughout 
all  after  time:  "If  Thy  presence  go  not  with  us, 
carry  us  not  up  hence  "  (verse  15).     And  when  God 
replied :   "  I  will  do  this  thing  also  that  thou  hast 
spoken :  for  thou  hast  found  grace  in  My  sight,  and 
I  know  thee  by  name,"   Moses'  daring  passed  all 
previous  bounds.    He  made  a  request  new  to  human 
lips,  though  the  desire  which  it  expressed  had  burned 
in  many  a  heart :  "And  he  said,  I  beseech  Thee,  shew 
me  Thy  glory "  (verse  18).     God  had  hitherto,  in- 
deed, been  a  presence  to  him.     He  had  spoken  with 
Him  in  the  fire  and  in  the  cloud.  But  Moses  desired 
to  behold  Him  without  a  vail — to  see  God  face  to 
face — as  a  favoured  subject  beholds  a  king,  as  a  son 
looks  up  into  his  father's  face.     It  was  the  cry  that 
long  ages  afterwards  sprang  from  the  disciple's  lips  : 
"  Lord,  shew  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth  us  !  " 


240  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xxxii. — xl. 

That  request  too,  is  not  denied,  but  it  will  be  ful- 
filled in  God's  own  way.  Moses  is  to  re-ascend  the 
Mount  (chapter  xxxiv.)  He  is  to  hew  two  tables  of 
stone  like  the  first,  which  he  broke,  and  on  these  God 
will  write  again  the  ten  commandments;  for  the 
mercy  of  God  is  renewal  unto  holiness.  During  the 
coming  interview,  the  mountain  is  to  be  hallowed 
as  at  the  first  giving  of  the  Law.  Israel  was  to  stand 
afar  off.  And  then  his  prayer  was  answered.  He 
did  not  see  God's  face — the  fulness  of  the  Divine 
glory — for  no  mortal  man  can  so  see  God  and  live. 
But  he  saw  God  after  He  had  passed.  It  is  the  law,  for 
the  life  that  now  is,  of  all  Divine  revelation.  God 
manifests  Himself  in  His  acts  and  in  His  Word. 
Where  He  has  thus  passed,  we  read  the  revelation  of 
Himself  that  God  has  given  in  those  acts  of  mercy 
and  wisdom  and  power. 

"And  Jehovah  passed  over  against  him,  and 
cried,  Jehovah,  Jehovah-El,  compassionate  and 
gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  mercy 
and  truth,  keeping  mercy  for  the  thousandth 
generation,  taking  away  iniquity  and  transgres- 
sion and  sin,  and  He  will  by  no  means  leave 
unpunished  (the  guilty),  visiting  the  iniquity  of 
the  fathers  upon  the  children  and  upon  chil- 
dren's children  unto  the  third  and  unto  the 
fourth  generation  "  (verses  6,  7). 

This  is  in  the  latter  part,  a  repetition  of  xx.  5, 
where  we  find  the  words  explained  by  the  addition, 
"  of  them  that  hate  Me."  Those  who  turn  to  God 
cast  away  not  only  their  own  sins,  biit  also  the  sins 


The  G>ntents  of  the  Section.  241 

of  their  fathers.  Those  offences  are  shed  from  them, 
with  all  their  stains  and  all  their  penalties.  That 
terrible  truth  of  the  perfectness  of  God's  reckoning 
with  long-continued  sin  has  been  exemplified  in 
history  again  and  again,  and  most  of  all  in  the  history 
of  Israel.  But  the  emphasis  is  cast  in  this  revelation 
of  God,  not  upon  His  severity,  but  upon  His  goodness. 
Nowhere  else  in  the  Scripture  has  the  mercy  of  God 
been  more  fully  or  more  gloriously  displayed.  Every 
added  word  and  phrase  are  in  themselves  the  over- 
flowing of  the  Divine  compassion.  It  was  well  that 
here,  upon  this  mount  of  terror,  this  name  of  Him 
with  whom  there  is  forgiveness  that  He  may  be  feared, 
should  be  so  declared.  It  was  the  name  that  Zion, 
in  the  after  time,  was  to  inscribe  upon  her  banners. 
It  was  the  name  she  went  forth  to  proclaim  to  the 
world.  And  she  took  the  whole  name.  She  was  not 
ashamed  to  place  side  by  side  with  infinite  mercy,  the 
terror  of  the  Lord  that  shall  yet  be  manifested  in  the 
long-delayed  reckoning  for  the  world's  sin.  And  the 
Church's  faithfulness  was  her  power. 

*•  And  Moses  made  haste,  and  bowed  down  to 
the  earth,  and  worshipped.  And  said,  If,  I  pray 
Thee,  I  have  found  favour  in  Thine  eyes,  let  the 
Lord  go,  I  pray  Thee,  O  Lord,  in  the  midst  of 
us;  for  it  is  a  stiffnecked  people;  and  Thou  hast 
pardoned  our  iniquity  and  our  sin,  and  Thou 
hast  taken  us  as  Thine  inheritance  "  (ver.  8,  9). 

The  intercessions  of  Moses  are  precious  as  revela- 
tions of  the  art  of  prayer.  Eloquence  has  ever  its 
surprises,  and  none  surpasses  those  of  the  mov6d 

R 


242     Elxodus — Redeemed  with  God — xxxii. — xl. 

heart  in  its  pleadings  with  God.  And  how  prophetic 
is  God's  reply!  He  accepts  Moses  and  His  people. 
He  accepts  them  with  full  purpose  of  blessing :  but 
the  way  to  the  mercy  of  the  latter  days  lies  through 
wonder  and  terror. 

"And  He  said,  Behold,  I  (I  Myself)  am 
making  a  covenant:  before  all  thy  people  I  will 
do  marvels,  which  have  not  been  done  in  all  the 
earth,  and  among  all  the  nations;  and  all  the 
people  in  whose  midst  thou  art  shall  see  the 
working  of  Jehovah:  for  a  dreadful  thing  is  this 
which  I  will  do  with  thy  people  "  (verse  10). 

Then  follow  specific  injunctions  against  the  idolatry 
which  had  been  already  disclosed  as  a  sin  whose 
roots  had  gone  deep  into  the  nation's  life,  and  which 
was  to  bring  upon  them  many  a  chastisement  and 
long-enduring  loss.  It  was  a  covenant  which  meant 
punishment  for  Israel.  But  beyond  the  chastise- 
ments, there  lies  the  glory  of  unparalleled  and  long- 
enduring  service.  Intermingling  with  the  nations  of 
the  land  is  forbidden ;  the  feasts,  the  Sabbath,  the 
presentation  of  the  firstfruits,  &c.,  are  enjoined 
anew ;  and,  then,  with  the  tables  in  his  hands,  which 
have  been  inscribed  afresh  by  God's  own  hand,  Moses 
descends  once  more  from  Sinai.  This  time  he  finds 
a  waiting  and  expecting  people ;  and  he  comes 
among  them  with  a  manifestation  of  the  glory  which 
he  had  had  with  God,  "  Behold,  the  skin  of  his  face 
shone,  and  they  were  afraid  to  come  nigh  him."  It 
was  a  prophecy  to  them  of  the  glory  which  awaits 
fidelity.     And  it  was  more.     It  showed,  in  prophetic 


The  Contents  of  the  Section.  243 

type,  the  glory  of  Him  Who  is  now  with  God  on  our 
behalf,  and  Who  will  come  a  second  time  without 
sin  unto  salvation. 

What  now  follows  in  those  concluding  chapters  is 
full  of  minute  technical  details;  and  yet  in  the  very 
multitude  of  these  there  is  the  more  abounding  con- 
solation for  those  who  are  grieving  to-day  over  an 
apostatising  people.  Who,  when  Moses  cast  away 
the  first  tables,  would  have  believed  it  possible  that 
those  very  people  would  afterwards  be  solicited  by 
God  Himself  to  bring  their  freewill  offerings;  that 
they  would  have  made  answer  with  such  cordiality 
and  zeal  that  they  should  have  to  be  restrained  lest 
they  should  give  too  much ;  that  those  forgiven 
idolaters  should  build  God's  dwelling-place;  and 
that  God  should  graciously  accept  the  offered  dwell- 
ing-place, and  fill  it  with  His  glory  ?  Nevertheless, 
all  this  is  done !  And  now  mark  the  teaching  of 
those  apparently  dry  details.  Nothing  of  the  original 
plan  is  left  out.  Compare  what  is  described  as  done 
in  chapters  xxxv. — xl.  33,  and  it  will  be  found  that 
not  a  single  thing  is  lacking — not  one  clasp  or  pin  is 
omitted.  Everything  is  there,  and  everything  is 
there  in  its  allotted  place.  The  original  plan,  which 
seemed  so  hopelessly  shattered  by  Israel's  revolt,  is 
gloriously  accomplished.  It  will  be  observed,  too, 
that  in  these  closing  chapters  of  the  Book  every- 
thing else  is  excluded,  so  that  this,  and  this  alone, 
may  stand  before  us.  That,  this  should  be  done 
without  a  purpose  no  one  will  believe.  It  is  a  pro- 
phecy of  the  latter-day  glory,  with  which  this  typical 


244  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xxxii. — xl. 

history  of  redemption  fitly  concludes.  And  so  the 
last  words  of  all  show  us  how  completely  the 
Redeemed  will  then  be  with  God  (xl.  34-38).  God 
fills  the  Tabernacle  with  His  glory,  and  He  becomes, 
as  He  purposed  from  the  first  that  He  should  become, 
the  Guide  of  their  way. 


CHAPTER    n. 
The  Critical  Analysis  of  Exodus. 

WE  have  had  to  notice  from  time  to  time  how 
the  higher  criticism  has  endeavoured  to  justify 
its  existence  by  showing  with  what  certainty  it  can 
assign  one  section  to  one  writer,  and  a  eecond 
section  to  another.  But  there  have  been  fewer  self- 
congratulations  over  the  supposed  results  than  we 
have  been  accustomed  to  in  the  reading  of  Genesis. 
A  still  more  remarkable  thing  is  that  they  themselves 
here  hesitate  and  question  in  a  remarkable  manner. 
A  reference  to  Dr.  Driver's  Introduction  will  supply 
many  examples,  but  the  reader's  attention  may  be 
specially  directed  to  the  following  references  to  this 
concluding  Section  of  Exodus.  "  In  the  narrative  of 
the  Golden  Calf  (xxxi.  18'' — xxxiv.  28),"  he  writes, 
"  chap,  xxxii.,  as  a  whole,  may  be  assigned  plausibly 
to  E  ;  only  verses  9-14  appear  to  have  been  expanded 
by  the  compiler  of  JE" — that  is,  while  the  passage 
is  given  to  E,  it  has  also  the  characteristics  of  JE. 
But  surprising  as  that  admission  is,  it  does  not  dis- 


The  Critical  Analysis  of   Elxodus.         245 

close  by  any  means  the  full  extent  of  the  critics' 
embarrassment,  for  Dr.  Driver  adds :  "  No  satisfactory 
analysis  of  Die  entire  passage  has,  however,  been  effected. 
All  that  can  be  said  is  that  if  E  be  the  basis  of 
xxxiii,  1-6,  it  has  been  amplified  by  the  compiler, 
possibly  with  elements  derived  from  J."  Here  tte 
case  grows  worse.  We  had  first  of  all  the  char- 
acteristics of  JE  in  a  passage  which  "may  be 
plausibly  "  assigned  to  E ;  and  now  a  third  writer's 
hand,  notwithstanding  the  plausibility  of  the  assign- 
ment to  E,  is  detected  in  E's  work,  so  that  then- 
may  actually  be  "elements"  in  it  "derived  from  J.' 
Gould  anything  be  more  disconcerting  to  thosi 
gentlemen  who  at  Church  Congresses,  denomina 
tional  gatherings,  and  clerical  meetings  are  wont  to 
talk  with  such  imposing  assurance  about  "  the  ascer- 
tained results  of  the  higher  criticism"  ? 

Lest  it  may  be  imagined  that  the  above  is  a  quite 
exceptional  case,  let  me  trouble  the  reader  to  note 
also  the  following.  "  xxxiii.  12 — xxxiv.  9,"  says  Dr. 
Driver,  "  forms  a  continuous  whole,  though  whether 
belonging  to  J  (Dillmann)  or  to  the  compiler  of  JE 
(Wellhausen)  can  scarcely  be  definitely  determined," 
With  the  details  of  the  various  critical  opinions  I  do 
not  trouble  the  reader.  It  is  enough  to  notice  that 
the  Doctors  differ,  though  we  have  been  often  told 
that  the  marks  of  the  alleged  "Sources"  of  the 
Bible  are  so  plain  that  the  wayfaring  man  can  discern 
them.  I  make  one  further  quotation.  "  In  the  pre- 
ceding pages,"  he  says,  "  no  attempt  has  been  made 
to  give    more  than  an  outline  of  the  structure  of 


246  Elxodus — Redeemed  with  God — xxxii. — xl. 

JE's  narrative  in  chapters  xix. — xxiv.,  xxxii. — xxxiv. 
Much  has  been  written  upon  it ;  but  though  it 
appears  to  display  plain  marks  of  composition,  it 
fails  to  supply  the  criteria  requisite  for  distributing 
it  in  detail  between  the  different  narrators,  and  more 
than  one  hypothesis  may  be  framed  which  will 
account,  at  least  apparently,  for  the  facts  demanding 
explanation.  It  is  probable  that  it  reached  its  present 
form  by  a  series  of  stages  which  can  no  longer,  in 
their  entirety,  be  distinguished  with  certainty."  This 
is  perfectly  marvellous.  These  contributions  cannot 
.  be  "  distinguished  with  certainty,"  and  yet  the  narra- 
tive displays  "plain  marks  of  composition."  We 
leave  the  critics  to  reconcile  these  statements.  "  It  is 
enough  for  us  to  mark  their  embarrassment,  and  to 
acknowledge  the  confession  that  critical  theories  have 
at  last  become  so  numerous  that  their  inventors 
themselves  are  becoming  hopelessly  entangled  among 
them. 

When,  however,  we  question  the  critics  further, 
and  inquire  into  the  grounds  for  the  statement  that 
the  narrative  shows  "plain  marks  of  composition," 
our  amazement  deepens.  Part  of  Dr.  Driver's  reply 
is  as  follows :  "  xxxii.  34 — xxxiii.  6,"  he  writes, 
"  exhibits  traces  of  a  double  narrative :  thus  in 
verse  5**  the  people  are  commanded  to  do  what,  ac- 
cording to  4'',  they  had  already  done."  The  italics 
are  Dr.  Driver's,  and  even  without  them  the  case 
seems  bad  enough.  What  better  proof  of  differing 
authorship  could  any  one  desire  than  that  we  should 
have  a  thing  commanded  which  was  already  done  ? 


The  Critical  Analysis  of  Exodus.  247 

What  possibility  of  obedience  was  there  for  Israel  if 
the  thing  was  done  already  ?  And  how  could  any 
man,  who  had  actually  recorded  the  fact  that  Israel 
had  done  that  thing,  go  on  to  say  in  his  very  next 
sentence  that  a  command  was  issued  to  have  it  done, 
and  thus  plainly  imply  that  Israel  had  up  to  that 
time  done  no  such  thing  ? 

This  belongs  to  a  class  of  statements  which  alone 
ran  account  for  the  victory  which  the  critics  have 
won  with  such  ease  and  rapidity.  It  seems  an  insult 
to  great  reputations  to  suggest  that  those  statements 
are  baseless.  Even  to  inquire  into  them  implies  a 
lack  of  confidence  in  their  ability,  care,  and  common 
honesty  that  is  nothing  short  of  a  scandal  in  the 
eyes  of  many.  But  let  us  at  least  glance  at  the 
Scripture  statements  which  Dr.  Driver  says  could 
not  have  been  penned  by  the  same  writer.  They 
are  these: 

"And  when  the  people  heard  these  evil  tidings, 

they  mourned  :  and  no  man  did  put  on  him  his 

ornaments"  (xxxiii.4). 

"And  Jehovah  had  said  to  Moses,  Say  to  the 

children  of  Israel,  Ye  are  a  stiffnecked  people  .  • 

and  now  cast  away  thine  ornaments  from  off 

thee,  and  I  will  know  what  I  shall  do  with  thee. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  stripped  themselves 

of  their  ornaments  from  Mount  Horeb  onward  " 

(verses  5,  6). 

The  Authorised  Version   has  "translated    "  For  the 

Lord  had  said  "  this  to  Moses,  implying  that  verses 

5  and  6  are  an  explanation  of  what  has  been  narrated 


248   Exodus — Redeemed  with  God^xxxii. — xL 

in  verse  4.  That  this  is  not  only  a  perfectly  good 
translation  I  need  not  say — but  it  is  also  a  necessary 
one.  Why  were  the  Israelites  mourning?  What 
had  been  said  in  the  preceding  verses  to  plunge  them 
into  grief  so  deep  and  so  universal  ?  Apart  from  the 
announcement  that  God  Himself  would  no  longer 
go  with  them,  and  that  they  might  not  be  consumed, 
there  is  nothing  whatever  to  account  for  the  mourn- 
ing which  filled  the  camp.  They  received  a  clear  and 
full  promise  of  the  land,  and  the  absence  of  God  from 
their  midst  must  have  been  hailed  as  a  relief  by 
multitudes  of  them.  But  receive  this  as  the  reason 
for  the  mourning  of  the  people,  and  where  is  the 
critical  "doublet"?  Where  is  the  commanding  of 
a  thing  which  had  been  already  done  ?  This  attempt 
is  the  more  inexcusable  that  Dr.  Driver  says  nothing 
whatever  of  an  exactly  parallel  case  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  and  separated  from  that  which  he  cites,  only 
by  a  few  verses.  I  translate  these  as  the  critics 
would  have  us  translate  the  others : 

"And  the  sons  of  Levi  did  according  to  the 

word  of  Moses  ;  and  there  fell  of  the  people  that 

day  about  3,000  men"  (xxxii. 28). 

"And  Moses  said,  Fill  your  hand  to-day  for 

JchDvah,  even   every  man   upon   his   son,  and 

upon  his  brother;  and  He  shall  bestow  upon 

you  this  day  a  blessing"  (verse  29). 

Here  we  have  an  exactly  similar  case.  Translating 
as  above,  with  no  regard  whatever  to  the  context,  we 
make  Moses  command  the  Levites  to  do  the  ver>- 
thing  which  they  have  already  done !     But  instead 


The  Critical  Analysis  of  Exodus.  249 

of  the  simple  past  tense,  use  the  pluperfect,  and 
translate  "  Moses  had  said,"  instead  of  "  Moses 
said,"  a  translation  absolutely  unimpeachable — and 
everything  is  harmonious.  The  second  statement 
gives  the  reason  why  the  thing  narrated  in  the 
former  statement  was  done ;  and  the  two  together 
show  the  hand  of  one  narrator,  and  of  one  narrator 
only. 

A  still  more  gross  abuse  of  a  reader's  confidence 
is  attempted  in  a  statement  upon  the  same  page.* 
"xxxiii.  7-11,"  he  writes,  "which  (as  the  tenses 
IN  THE  ORIGINAL  SHOW)  describe  throughout  Moses' 
practice  (verse  7,  '  used  to  take  and  pitch,'  &c.),  was 
preceded,  it  may  be  conjectured,  in  its  original  con- 
nexion by  an  account  of  the  construction  of  the 
Tent  of  Meeting,"  &c.,  &c.  When  we  turn  to 
xxxiii.  7,  we  discover  that,  as  usually  translated,  the 
verse  tells  us  that  Moses  removed  the  Tent  of  Meet- 
ing from  its  usual  place  inside  the  camp  to  a  new 
location  outside  the  camp.  And  he  apparently  did 
this,  as  the  context  shows,  to  indicate  that  God  had 
removed  from  the  midst  of  the  people.  Read  in 
that  way,  the  whole  narrative  is  perfectly  consecutive 
and  harmonious.  But  translate  now :  "  And  Moses 
used  to  take  the  tabernacle,"  and  the  dislocation  is 
complete.  The  passage  has  then  no  connection  with 
what  goes  before.  For  this  is  now  no  new  action, 
and,  therefore,  no  indication  of  God's  removal  from 
among  the  people.  But  Dr."  Driver  affirms  plainly 
and  emphatically  that  this  last  is  the  only  translation 

•  Intrvduclii'tt,  p.  35. 


250  Exodus — Redeemed  with  God     xxxii. — xl. 

which  a  capable  and  honest  scholar  can  give  to  tl»e 
verse.  *'  The  tenses  in  the  original,"  he  says,  "  show 
that  this  is  the  meaning,  and,  therefore,  compel  the 
rendering,  'And  Moses  used  to  pitch,'  &c." 

What  defence  has  an  ordinary  reader,  unacquainted 
with  Hebrew,  against  a  statement  of  that  sort  ?  But, 
it  will  be  asked  with  amazement,  "  is  it  unfounded  ?" 
The  reply  is  that  it  is  not  only  unfounded,  but  with- 
out excuse.  Yikkakh,  the  word  which  Dr.  Driver 
and  others — among  whom  are  the  authors  of  the 
Revised  Version — translate  "  used  to  pitch  "  is  in  the 
imperfect  or  future  tense.  It  might  be  used  to  indi- 
cate a  repeated  or  habitual  act,  but  the  tenses  impose 
no  necessity  whatever  in  favour  of  that  sense  here. 
And  it  is  an  interpretation  which  the  context  wholly 
forbids.  Had  Israel  been  on  the  march,  the  sense 
"  used  to  "  might  have  been  admissable,  but  not  even 
then  would  it  have  been  compulsory.  On  the  con- 
trary, however,  the  camp  had  long  been  stationary. 
The  proposed  rendering  is  consequently  ridiculous. 
If  Moses  kept  on  taking  the  tent  and  pitching  the 
tent  outside  the  camp,  how  had  the  tent  managed  to 
return  to  its  previous  location  inside  the  camp  ? 

A  concluding  instance  of  the  perverse  ingenuity  of 
the  critics  may  close  these  references  to  a  system 
condemned  alike  by  sound  scholarship  and  by  the 
constant  faith  of  the  Christian  Church.  "  In  xxxiv. 
27,  28,"  says  Dr.  Driver,*  "  the  preceding  body  of 
laws,  on  the  basis  of  which  the  covenant  is  made, 
appears  to  be  spoken  of  as  *  Ten  Commandments ' 

*  tntroduttion,  p.  3^, 


The  Critical  Analysis  of  Exodus.  251 

(Hebrew,   'words').     It   has  hence  been    supposed 
that,  though  in  its  present  form   it  has  undergone 
expansion,  it  originally  consisted  of  ten  particular 
injunctions,"  &c.     But   let   us   look   at   these   two 
verses.     In  verse  27  we  read :   "  And  the  Lord  said 
unto  Moses,  Write  thou  these  words :  for  after  the 
tenor  of  these  words  I  have  made  a  covenant  with 
thee  and  with  Israel."     Now  the  words,  which  are 
here  spoken  of,  are  not  said  to  be  "ten,"  are  not 
numbered  at  all,  and  refer  to  the  feasts,  the  first- 
fruits,  &c.     Verse  28  is  not  a  continuation  of  the 
special  theme  of  verse  27.     It  sums  up  this  entire 
episode  in  the  history  of  Moses  :  "  And  he  was  there 
with  Jehovah  forty  days  and  forty  nights;    he  did 
neither  eat  bread,  nor  drink  water.    And  He  " — that 
is,  Jehovah,  Who  is  last  named—"  wrote  upon  the 
TABLES  the  words  of  the  Covenant,  the  ten  words.'' 
This  is  the  way  in  which  the  words  have  been  always 
read.     It  is  the  sense  in  which  also  they  are  plainly 
meant ;    for  Moses  was  commanded  to  prepare  the 
two  tables,  and  to  take  them  with  him,  so  that  God 
might  inscribe  the  "  ten  words  "  upon  them.     And 
what   seems  to  us  an  abrupt  transition    from  one 
agent  to  another,  is  a  feature  which  constantly  recurs 
in  the  Pentateuch.     But  such  things  will  not  pass 
muster  with  the  critics.     The  words  must  not  be 
taken   as   they  are   plainly  intended   to   be   taken. 
Moses  must  be  held  to  have  written  the  words  and 
not  God.    In  this  way  the  continuity  of  the  narrative 
is  hopelessly  broken  ;  a  new  proof  has  been  obtained 
that  the  Book  has  been  compiled  from  different,  and 


252     Exodus — Redeemed  with  God — xxxii. — xl. 

indeed  contradictory,  sources ;  and  a  wide  field  is 
opened  for  further  "  critical  research "  as  to  how 
commandments  may  be  arranged  in  ten  divisions 
that  were  neither  given,  nor  spoken  of  as  ten.  It  is 
melancholy  work,  and,  like  every  other,  will  in  due 
time  receive  its  reward.  For  those  who  refuse  to 
permit  their  judgment  to  be  enthralled  by  the  rabbis 
of  rationalism,  and  who  study  the  Book  for  them- 
selves, its  unity  is  indisputable.  Not  only  is  it  a 
complete  narrative,  having  a  clearly-defined  starting 
point,  a  steady  onward  progress,  and  a  triumphant 
conclusion ;  but  it  also  reveals  in  its  Parts  and 
Sections  of  Parts  a  mastery  that  is  positively  start- 
ling. There  is  nothing  like  it  in  any  literature  outside 
the  Bible  ;  but  it  is  what  we  might  look  for  from  Him, 
all  whose  works  praise  Him. 


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